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By  the  same  author 


1.  An    Eastern    Exposition   of    the   Gospel   of 

Jesus  according  to  St.  John,  being  an 
Interpretation  thereof  by  the  light  of  Jndna 
Yoga. 

2.  A  Commentary  on  St.  Matthew  in  terms  of 

Godly  Experience  (or  Jfidna  Yoga). 
8vo,   cloth,   264  and  jo8  pp.   respectively.      Each 
$2.00  net,  postpaid. 

Commentaries  upon  St.  John  and  St.  Matthew,  by  Sri  Parinanda. 
These  two  volumes  are  worthy  of  more  than  mere  passing  notice  for 
the  unusual  reason  that  they  are  not  of  merely  literary  value.  In  no 
sense  are  they  critical,  or  of  the  same  character  as  tlie  critical  exegesis, 
to  which  our  Nineteenth  Century  divines  have  accustomed  us.  They 
are,  in  fact,  purely  spiritual  interpretations,  as  the  title  page  of  one  of 
them  puts  it,  "  By  the  Light  of  the  Godly  experience  of  Sri  Pardnanda." 
Both  volumes  are  of  the  highest  value  as  guides  to  the  spiritual  teach- 
ings of  a  JnAna  Yogi.  That  on  St.  John  has  still  greater  claim  to 
attention  for  its  lengthy  explanation  of  the  difficult  first  chapter,  which 
explanation  necessarily  includes  the  whole  plan  of  spiritual  evolution, 
with  an  account  of  the  meaning  of  "  The  Word."  The  entire  Com- 
mentary is  of  the  highest  spiritual  import. 

While,  as  has  been  said,  critical  exegesis  in  no  sense  exists,  critical 
translation  does,  and  the  exact  meaning  of  Greek  terms  is  given  in 
many  puzzling  cases,  as  well  as  the  Sanskrit  equivalent.  They  are 
illuminating  commentaries,  and  the  English  in  which  they  are  given 
is  remarkably  clear  and  pure."  —  Theosophical  Quarterly. 

Manchester  Gnardian  :  There  are  beautiful  and  noble  things  admir- 
ably put  in  tliese  brief  notes.  .  .  .  Readers  will  find  a  real  interest  and 
value  in  the  book  as  putting  in  striking  relief  the  practical  realism  of 
the  New  Testament." 

3.  The  Spirit  of  the  East  contrasted  with  the 

Spirit  of  the  West,  being  a  lecture  deliv- 
ered before  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts 
and  Sciences  at  the  opening  meeting  of  its 
session  of   1905-1906. 
8vo,  cloth,  J 2  pp.     40  cents  net,  postpaid. 


The 
Culture  of  the  Soul 

Among 

Western    Nations 


p.  Ramandthan,  k.c,  c.m.g. 

(Solicitor-General  of  Ceylon) 


In  Greece,  every  Stoic  was  a  Stoic,  but  in 
Christendom  where  is  the  Christian  ? 

—  Embrson. 

Ring  out  the  darkness  of  the  land, 
Ring  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be. 

—  Tennyson. 


G.   P.  Putnam's  Sons, 

New  York    and    London 

XLbe  f?nfcftcrbocltcr  press 
1906 


Copyright,  iqo6 

Bv 

Myron  H.   Phelps 


Zbe  fjnfcherboclier  press 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


It  was  in  the  spring  of  1903  that  the  writer 
first  met  Mr.  Ramandthan  at  his  home  in 
Colombo,  and  he  had  the  privilege  of  hearing 
from  him  during  the  ensuing  year  many  dis- 
courses touching  the  deepest  questions  of 
human  life.  On  his  return  to  America  he 
took  occasion  to  make  known  his  high  opinion 
of  Mr.  Ramanathan  as  a  spiritual  teacher, 
with  the  result  that  invitations  to  visit  and 
teach  in  America  were  sent  to  him  by  many 
having  such  questions  at  heart,  among  them 
a  large  number  of  the  members  of  the  Mon- 
salvat  School  for  the  Comparative  Study  of 
Religion.  He  responded  to  these  invita- 
tions, and  has  spent  a  number  of  months  in 
this  country,  giving  many  addresses  before 
the  Monsalvat  School,  the  leading  universi- 
ties and  various  learned  societies  of  the 
Eastern  States.  He  is  now  upon  his  home- 
ward journey. 


iv  Prefatory   Note 

Mr.  Rd,mandthan  leaves  many  friends  in 
America;  many  who  have  received  from  him 
a  new  Hght,  a  new  hope,  and  a  new  inspira- 
tion, which  they  beHeve  will  ever  continue  to 
illumine  and  cheer  their  pathway  through 
life.  It  was  at  the  earnest  request  of  some 
of  these  friends,  who  desired  to  have  in  perma- 
nent form  a  few  at  least  of  the  priceless  jewels 
of  wisdom  which  they  had  heard  from  his 
lips,  that  the  manuscript  of  this  volume  was 
prepared  and  left  with  the  writer  of  these 
few  lines  to  be  given  to  the  world.  May  it 
carry  far  and  wide  the  fruits  of  the  profound 
insight  of  the  author  into  spiritual  realities, 
and  the  aroma  of  his  sweet  and  gentle 
presence. 

Myron  H.  Phelps, 
of  the  New  York  Bar, 
Director  of  the  Monsalvat  School. 

I  East  Thirty-Ninth  St., 

New  York,  May,  1906. 


SULf 


URL   od(p*h)bf^^ 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I 

On  "  Faith  "  or  Love  of  God  as  a  Prod- 
uct OF  Sound  Teaching 

CHAPTER   II 

On   Scripture   and    its    Interpreta- 
tion  

CHAPTER   III 


PACK 


33 


On  the  Traditional  Oral  Interpre- 
tation OF  THE  Scriptures,  and  the 
Disastrous  Consequences  of  its 
Loss  to  Western  Nations    ....       57 

CHAPTER   IV 

On  the  Key  of  Knowledge  or  the 
Fundamental  Experiences  of  the 
Sanctified  in  Spirit 83 

V 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER   V 

PAGB 

On  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  of  An- 
cient JuD^A .    o      127 

CHAPTER   VI 
On  the  Teachings  of  the  Psalmists     167 

CHAPTER   VII 

On  the  Practical  Nature  of  the 
Doctrines  of  Jesus  as  Regards 
the  Conversion  of  Self-Love  into 
Perfect   Love      195 


CHAPTER  I 

ON   "FAITH"   OR   LOVE   OF    GOD   AS 
A  PRODUCT  OF  SOUND  TEACHING 


Confession  of  Cardinal  Newman  that  the  dogmas 
of  the  Church  are  beset  with  intellectual  diffi- 
culties and  cannot  be  explained. 
His  escape  from  atheism  and  disbelief  of  the  dogmas 

through  inborn  faith  in  God. 
Acceptance  of  dogmas  impossible  without  faith  in 

God. 
The   wide   prevalence    of  unbelief   among  Western 
nations  due  to  wrong  interpretations  of  the  term 
Faith. 
Attempted  definition  of  Faith  by  ministers  of  the 

Church  considered. 
Faith  is  not  identical  with  belief,  but  is  the  attach- 
ment or  bond  of  love  which  springs  from  belief. 
It  is  the  equivalent  of  Sansk.  bhakti  and  Gr. 

pistis,  derived  from  rt.  bhadh,  to  bind. 
It  is  not  antecedent  to,  but  an  immediate  con- 
sequence of,  belief. 
It  may  be  made  to  dawn  in  the  heart  by  sound 
teaching. 
A  man  of  spiritual  discernment,  apt  to  teach  and 
convince  the  gainsayer,  is  necessary  to  produce 
love  of  God. 

Example  of  Jesus  and  of  St.  Paul  as  effective 

teachers. 
"  Faith  Cometh  by  hearing "  (a  spiritual  minded 

teacher)  (Rom.  x:  17). 
The  parable  of  the  Sower,  illustrative  of  the 
truth  that  waxing  of  the  love  of  God  depends 
upon  waning  of  the  love  of  the  world. 
Wrong  rendering  of  ekballei  in  Matt,  xiii:  52, 
in  the  English  version,  misses  the  whole 
meaning  of  that  chapter. 


St.  Paul's  definition  of  /jw/w  or  Faith  (Heb.  xi:  i). 

The  EvangeHsts'  use  of  pistis  (Matt,  xxiii:  23)  for 
agape  (Luke  xi:  43),  to  denote  love  of  God. 

True  meaning  of  the  expression  henotes  tes  pisteos 

(Eph.  iv:  13),  rendered  "Unity  of  faith,"  is  oneness 
in  love. 

Fellowship  of  the  perfected  spirit  with  the  evel 
Perfect  Spirit  (or  God)  is  also  expressed  by  the 
formula  "the  Father  is  in  me  and  I  am  in  the 
Father"  (John  xiv:   11). 

This  is  "the  mystery  of  Faith"  or  Godly  Love,  which 
should  be  cherished  in  the  heart  as  the  central 
doctrine  of  true  religious  life  (I  Tim.  iii:  9).  It 
is  also  called  "the  mystery  of  Godliness"  (ib. 
iii:  16). 


ON  "FAITH"  OR  LOVE  OF  GOD,  AS  A 
PRODUCT  OF  SOUND  TEACHING 

Cardinal  Newman  has  candidly  observed 
that  he  was  able  to  save  himself  from  the 
perils  of  atheism  only  because  he  was  en- 
dowed with  the  needful  faith  in  God,  for, 
said  he,  ''every  article  of  the  Christian  creed, 
whether  as  held  by  Catholics  or  by  Protest- 
ants, is  beset  with  intellectual  difjictdties ,  and 
it  is  a  simple  fact  that  for  myself  I  cannot 
answer  those  difficulties''  {Apologia  Pro  Vita 
Sua,  ch.  v).  He  explained  that  the  strength 
of  his  belief  in  the  existence  of  God  was  in 
inverse  ratio  to  his  inability  to  prove  it. 
Were  it  not  for  this  special  feature  of  his 
mind,  he  tells  us  that  his  difificulties  would 
have  landed  him  in  doubt,  and  that  argu- 
ments drawn  only  from  the  structure  of  the 
world  and  the  general  facts  of  human  society 
5 


6  Soul  Culture 

would  have  led  him  to  be  an  atheist,  a  pan- 
theist, or  a  polytheist.  As  it  was,  though 
he  was  bom  and  bred  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, his  studies  resulted  in  the  conviction 
that  the  Anglican  interpretation  of  scripture 
was  quite  erroneous;  that  its  special  beliefs 
and  practices  were  nowhere  sanctioned  in 
antiquity;  that  the  attempts  of  the  theo- 
logians to  dress  it  up  doctrinally  and  aesthe- 
tically ended  in  the  "veriest  of  non-entities," 
and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  accept  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  as  "the  oracle  ot 
God."  He  joined  that  Church,  but  alas! 
the  oracle  of  God,  as  he  himself  says,  did  not 
remove  his  difficulties  as  regards  any  of  the 
articles  of  the  Christian  creed.  On  his  con- 
version he  was  not  conscious  of  any  change, 
intellectual  or  moral.  To  the  day  of  his 
death  neither  his  learning  nor  his  resources 
as  a  prince  of  the  Church  are  known  to  have 
availed  aught  in  the  solution  of  the  intellec- 
tual obstacles  of  his  earlier  days.  Feeling  in 
his  heart  for  certain  only  the  existence  and 
power  of  God,  he  did  not  allow  his  difficulties 


Faith  or  Love  oj  God  7 

to  engender  doubt  or  disbelief.  Believing^ 
faithful  to  the  last,  without,  however,  being 
able  to  produce  reasons  for  his  belief,  he 
waited  in  patience. 

How  many  intellectual  Christians  are 
there  in  the  world  who,  like  Cardinal  New- 
man, notwithstanding  the  difficulties  of  the 
dogmas  of  the  Church,  believe  without 
doubting?  Very  few  indeed.  Such  gen- 
uine believers  as  he  have  in  truth  no  difficul- 
ties, for  difficulties,  that  is,  obstacles  to  faith, 
exist  only  to  unbelievers. 

He  belonged  to  the  class  of  believers  whose 
faith  is  innate,  who  have  glimpses  of  the 
heaven  they  seek.  Who  that  is  given  to 
fervent  praying  and  to  silent  communion 
with  merciful  Providence  has  not  borne 
testimony  to  joys  which  he  knew  not  of 
before?  Is  it  not  within  the  experience  of 
every  one  who  rises  above  his  cares  and 
worldly  surroundings  and,  with  attention 
fixed  inwards,  beseeches  the  Divine  Spirit 
to  help  him  on  in  faith  and  charity,  in  good- 
ness and  love  to  all,  that  he  has  quivered  in 


8  Soul  Culture 

limb  and  faltered  in  accent,  felt  himself 
moved  to  tears  and  calmed  beyond  descrip- 
tion in  the  great  Presence?  Descending 
from  that  holy  region,  has  he  not  felt  that 
consciousness,  purified  of  its  worldly  attach- 
ments, is  instinct  with  Peace?  Such  glimpses 
of  light  and  joy  are  assurances  of  the  reaUty 
of  God.  They  who  have  experienced  this 
blissful  state  require  no  proof  for  belief  in 
Him.  They  want  no  reasons  for  such  be- 
lief, for  they  are  spiritually -minded  already. 
If  the  allegiance  to  the  church  of  this 
class  of  believers  is  found  to  rest,  not  on  a 
conviction  of  the  truth  of  its  dogmas,  but 
upon  an  innate  belief  in  God,  upon  a  fore- 
taste of  heaven  actually  experienced  in 
prayer  and  meditation,  while  "waiting 
upon"  the  Lord,  what  are  other  men,  bom 
as  Christians  and  bred  as  intellectual 
athletes,  who  are  not  endowed  with  piety  or 
spiritual  experience,  to  do?  How  are  they 
to  overcome  the  obstacles  which  bar  the 
acceptance  of  Jesus  and  the  Church?  Are 
the  tinbelievers  not  to  be  ministered  to,  are 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  9 

they  to  be  allowed  to  drift  to  atheism,  on  the 
plea  that  they  deserve  damnation  because 
they  have  not  been  gifted  with  faith?  A 
brave  seeker  after  God  has  recorded  the  re- 
sult of  her  pilgrimage  to  an  eminent  divine, 
whom  she  speaks  of  as  a  "learned  patristic 
scholar,  full  of  the  wisdom  of  antiquity." 
The  last  of  her  difficulties  was  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  and  she  hoped  to  have  them  cleared 
by  the  worthy  doctor. 

"He  treated  me,"  she  says,  "as  a  peni- 
tent going  to  confession  seeking  the  advice  of 
a  director,  not  as  an  inquirer  struggling  after 
truth,  and  resolute  to  find  more  firm  stand- 
ing groiind  in  the  sea  of  doubt,  whether  on 
the  shores  of  orthodoxy  or  of  heresy.  He 
would  not  deal  with  the  question  of  the  di- 
vinity of  Christ  as  a  question  for  argument; 
he  reminded  me  'you  are  speaking  of  your 
Judge';  when  I  pressed  some  question  .  .  . 
'it  is  not  your  duty  to  ascertain  the  truth,' 
he  told  me  sternly.  'It  is  your  duty  to 
accept  what  the  Church  has  laid  down  for 
your  acceptance.     Did  not  the  Lord  promise 


lo  Soul  Culture 

that  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  should  be 
ever  with  his  Church,  to  guide  her  into  all 
truth  ? ' 

'"But  the  fact  of  the  promise  and  its 
value  are  the  very  points  on  which  I  am 
doubtful,'  I  answered. 

"He  shuddered.  'Pray,  pray,'  he  said; 
'  Father,  forgive  her  for  she  knows  not  what 
she  says.' 

"It  was  in  vain  I  urged  that  I  had  every- 
thing to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose  by  follow- 
ing his  directions,  but  that  it  seemed  to  me 
that  fidelity  to  truth  forbade  a  pretended 
acceptance  of  that  which  was  not  believed. 

"'Everything  to  lose?  Yes,  indeed  you 
will  be  lost  for  time  and  lost  for  eternity.' 
'  Lost  or  not,'  I  rejoined,  '  I  must  and  will  find 
out  what  is  true,  and  I  will  not  believe  until 
I  am  sure.' 

"'You  have  no  right  to  make  terms  with 
God,'  he  answered,  'as  to  what  you  will 
believe  and  what  you  will  not  believe.  You 
are  iwW  of  intellectual  pride.' 

"I    sighed    hopelessly.     Little    feeling    of 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  1 1 

pride  was  there  in  me  just  then,  and  I  felt 
that  in  this  rigid,  unyielding  dogmatism 
there  was  no  comprehension  of  my  difficul- 
ties —  no  help  for  my  strugglings.  I  rose, 
and  thanking  him  for  his  courtesy,  said 
that  I  would  not  waste  his  time  further,  that 
I  must  go  home  and  just  face  the  difficulties 
out,  openly  leaving  the  Church  and  taking 
the  consequences.  Then  for  the  first  time 
his  serenity  was  ruffled. 

"'I  forbid  you  to  speak  of  your  disbelief,' 
he  cried;  'I  forbid  you  to  lead  into  your 
own  lost  state  the  souls  for  whom  Christ 
died.' 

"Slowly  and  sadly  I  took  my  way  back 
to  the  railway  station,  knowing  that  my 
last  chance  of  escape  had  failed  me." 

This  is  truly  a  typical  case,  for,  in  the 
words  of  Cardinal  Newman,  "what  a  scene, 
what  a  prospect  does  the  whole  of  Europe 
present  at  this  day,  and  not  only  Europe, 
but  every  government  and  every  civilisation 
throughout  the  world,  which  is  under  the 
influence  of  the  European  mind  ?  .  .  .  .  How 


12  Soul  Culture 

sorrowful  is  the  spectacle  presented  to  us  by 
the  educated  intellect  of  England,  France, 
and  Germany."  It  is  all  drifting,  he  said, 
to  atheism  in  one  shape  or  another. 

The  unbelief  of  the  present  day  is  due  not 
a  little  to  the  difficulties  which  exist  as  to 
the  meaning  of  the  terms  pistis,  peithd,  and 
inonogenes  huios  which  have  been  rendered 
respectively  "faith,"  "believe,"  and  "only- 
begotten  son";  the  nature  and  capacities 
of  the  soul;  the  methods  needful  to  develop 
spirituality  as  distinguished  from  intellec- 
tuality; the  significance  of  Christhood; 
and  the  relation  which  God  bears  to  the 
world  and  to  souls,  sanctified  and  unsancti- 
fied. 

As  regards  faith,  some  dignitaries  of  the 
Church  declare  it  to  be  a  supernatural  gift 
of  God  which  enables  us  to  believe  without 
doubting  whatever  God  has  revealed.  But 
the  numerous  Anglican  divines  who  have 
contributed  to  the  Lux  Mundi,  and  who 
profess  to  be  responsible  for  that  volume  as 
containing    "the    expression    of    a    common 


\ 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  13 

mind  and  a  common  hope,"  avow  in  distinct 
tenns  that  it  is  incapable  of  definition  or  ex- 
planation. They  say  "faith  robbed  of  its 
habitual  aids  to  expression  is  summoned  to 
show  itself  on  the  field  in  its  own  character. 
And  this  is  just  what  it  never  can  or  may 
do.  It  can  only  reiterate,  in  response  to  the 
demand  for  definition,  'faith  is  faith,'  'be- 
lieving is  believing. '  Why  then  let  our- 
selves be  distressed  or  bewildered  by  finding 
ourselves  reduced  to  this  impotence  of  ex- 
planation?" But  yet  an  explanation,  if 
not  a  definition,  has  been  bravely  attempted 
in  the  first  essay,  which  consists  of  about 
fifty  pages,  in  the  course  of  which  Faith  is 
said  to  be  an  active  principle,  a  source  of 
energy,  a  tentative  probation,  a  fluctuating 
effort  in  man  to  win  for  himself  a  valid  hold 
upon  things  that  exist  under  the  conditions 
of  eternity,  an  instinct  of  relationship,  the 
discovery  of  an  inherent  sonship;  it  is  the 
primal  act  of  the  elemental  self,  an  heroic 
and  chivalrous  moral  venture;  and  they 
sum  up  their  exposition  as  follows : 


14  Soul  CtiUure 

"Faith,  then,  is  from  first  to  last  a  spiritual 
act  of  the  deepest  personal  will,  proceeding 
out  of  the  central  core  of  the  being,  where 
the  self  is  integral  and  whole,  before  it  has 
sundered  itself  off  into  divided  faculties. 
There,  in  that  root-self,  lie  the  germs  of  all 
that  appears  in  the  separate  qualities  and 
gifts  —  in  feelings,  in  reason,  in  imagination, 
in  desire;  and  faith,  the  central  activity,  has 
in  it,  therefore,  the  germs  of  all  these  several 
activities.  It  has  in  it  that  which  becomes 
reason,  yet  it  is  not  itself  the  reason.  It  holds 
in  it  imagination.  It  is  alive  with  that  which 
desires,  craves,  loves,  yet  it  is  not  itself 
merely  an  appetite,  a  desire,  a  passion.  In 
all  these  qualities  it  has  its  part;  it  shares 
their  nature;  it  has  kindred  motions;  it 
shows  itself,  sometimes  through  the  one,  and 
sometimes  through  the  other,  according  to 
the  varieties  of  human  characters."  It  is 
for  the  readers  of  the  learned  authors  of 
Lux  Mnndi  to  say  whether  or  not  this 
exposition  of  Faith  has  "distressed"  or  "be- 
wildered" them. 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  1 5 

May  "Faith"  be  explained  in  clearer 
terms?  The  crown  of  all  faiths  is  faith  in 
God,  which  with  some  persons  is  a  natural 
inclination  of  the  mind  (as  in  the  case  of 
Cardinal  Newman),  and  with  others  a  thing 
to  be  acquired,  like  faith  in  any  other  matter. 
The  machinery  of  religion  exists  for  the  pur- 
pose of  not  only  strengthening  faith  in  God 
where  it  already  exists,  so  as  to  drown  by  its 
intensity  the  mischievous  faith  in  the  world 
(I  John  v:  4),  but  also  of  creating  faith  in 
Him  where  none  exists.  A  religion  which 
fails  to  recognise  this  twofold  duty  argues 
itself  radically  defective,  and  of  this  two- 
fold duty  that  of  ministering  to  unbelievers 
is  obviously  the  more  urgent. 

"Faith"  is  commonly  supposed  to  be 
identical  with  belief,  and  lexicographers 
define  those  terms  to  mean  the  assent  of  the 
mind  to  the  truth  of  what  is  declared  by 
another,  resting  on  either  the  manifest  truth 
of  what  he  utters  or  his  own  authority.  But 
faith  is  much  more  than  belief.  //  is  the 
attachment  or  bond  of  love  which  springs  from 


i6  Soul  Culture 

belief.  My  belief  that  railway  trains  ply 
between  New  York  and  Boston  does  not 
lead  to  any  bond  of  love,  but  my  belief  that 
my  teacher  has  done  me  good  evokes  at  once 
an  attachment  in  my  mind.  I  allow  myself 
to  be  influenced  by  it  whenever  his  name  is 
mentioned.  I  refuse  to  believe  ill  of  him 
without  the  surest  proofs,  and  am  ready  to 
act  upon  his  suggestions,  whether  he  gives  me 
his  reasons  or  not.  This  love  or  attachment, 
which  is  bom  of  my  belief  in  the  goodness  or 
ability  of  a  person,  is  the  meaning  of  Faith. 
It  is  the  equivalent  of  the  Sanskrit  bhakti 
(love  of  God,  of  spiritual  guide,  etc.),  which 
in  Tamil  lips  becomes  patti ;  in  Greek, 
pistis  (through  peitho);  in  Latin,  jidcs ; 
in  English  faith  ;  all  derived  from  the  root 
BHADH,  the  fuller  form  of  which  is  bhandh, 
to  bind. 

This  bond  of  love  or  attachment  when  it 
relates  to  God  is  known  as  pistis,  or  love  of 
God,  and  it  dawns  in  the  heart  when  one 
believes  that  God  exists,  and  will  help  one  on 
in  love  and  light  if  sought  in  all  earnestness. 


Paith  or  Love  oj  God  17 

It  is  not  antecedent  to  but  is  an  immediate 
consequence  of  belief.  Love  of  God  is  the 
earliest  meaning  of  pistis  and  faith,  as  shown 
by  the  derivation  of  those  words.  It  will  be 
also  seen  presently  (p.  26)  that  the  evangel- 
ists have  used  pistis  synonymously  with 
agape,  which  is  acknowledged  to  mean 
love. 

The  rise  of  faith  or  love  of  God  usually 
takes  place  through  the  instrumentality  of  a 
teacher,  for  the  truths  which  relate  to  God 
and  to  the  soul,  till  made  manifest  in  actual 
experience,  must  of  necessity  rest  solely  on 
the  authority  of  the  person  who  propounds 
them.  His  private  character,  attainments, 
and  bearing  are  the  credentials  of  his  author- 
ity. Without  them  a  mind  that  is  not  cred- 
ulous will  refuse  to  incline  towards  him. 
Where  faith  or  love  of  God  is  not  innate  it 
manifests  itself  primarily  as  love  of  pupil  to 
teacher,  founded  upon  reasons  sufficient  to 
the  mental  calibre  of  the  pupil.  The  purer 
the  life  of  the  teacher,  the  greater  his  in- 
sight, the  more  masterly  his  exposition,  the 


1 8  Soul  Culture 

stronger  will  be  his  hold  on  the  pupil.  It 
was  by  such  personal  qualities  that  Jesus 
created  in  the  minds  of  the  unbelieving  Jews 
and  Gentiles  faith  in  himself  and,  by  means 
of  that  faith,  faith  in  the  God  he  preached. 
The  grand  assurance  of  his  words  and  the 
wonderful  acts  he  performed  in  the  name  of 
God,  his  overflowing  love  and  pure  disinter- 
estedness, his  unblemished  life  and  utter  con- 
tempt for  things  worldly,  were  the  grounds 
upon  which  thousands  and  thousands  were 
led  to  accept  him  as  a  true  teacher,  and  to 
take  on  trust  what  he  taught  regarding  God. 
He  was  eminently  great  at  teaching.  He 
taught  and  preached  in  the  cities  (Matt. 
xi:  i).  He  taught  in  the  temple  of  Jeru- 
salem daily  (Matt,  xxvi:  55).  He  called 
himself  "teacher"  (didaskalos,  Matt,  xxvi: 
18),  and  is  constantly  referred  to  by  others 
as  "teacher."  He  therefore  had  learners 
or  "disciples"  (mathetai)  who  followed  him 
about  and  learned  of  him.  He  invited  all  to 
"follow"  him  and  "learn  of"  him,  but  drew 
a  broad  distinction  between  those  who  were 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  19 

"worthy"    (Matt,     x:  36)    and    not   worthy 
to  follow  him. 

Paul  too  stood  forth  as  a  teacher,  declar- 
ing "faith  {pistis  or  love  of  God)  cometh  by 
hearing"  (Rom.  x:  17),  that  is,  listening 
intelligently  to  and  understanding  what  is 
communicated  by  a  sanctified  teacher.  He 
taught  his  hearers  the  knowledge  of  God 
according  to  their  capacities,  distinguishing 
between  the  worldly  and  the  Godly,  or,  as  he 
said,  the  "carnal"  (or  "natural  ")  and  the 
"spiritual,"  and  conveyed  to  each  suitable 
information,  treating  some  as  "babes  in 
Christ"  (I  Cor.  iii:  i)  and  giving  them 
"milk"  or  "strong  meat"  according  to  their 
respective  needs.  He  taught  them  publicly 
and  from  house  to  house  (Acts  xx:  20),  dis- 
puted with  devout  persons  and  in  the  market 
daily  with  them  that  met  with  him  (ib.  xvii: 
17).  He  insisted  that  teachers  of  the  gospel 
should  be  "apt  to  teach"  (I  Tim.  iii;  2), 
"holding  fast  to  the  faithful  word  (or  the 
word  of  love),  as  he  hath  been  taught,  that 
he  may  be  able  by  soimd  doctrine  to  exhort 


20  Soul  Culture 

and  to  convince  the  gainsay ers"  (Titus  1:9), 
and  he  explained  that  by  sound  (or  health- 
giving)  doctrine  was  meant  "doctrine  which 
is  according  to  godliness"  (I  Tim.  vi:  3), 
that  is,  according  to  those  who  have  become 
one  with  God  by  sanctification  of  the  Spirit, 
and  not  according  to  the  conceits  of  those 
who  are  great  in  book  lore  or  worldly  wis- 
dom, for,  said  Paul,  "without  controversy, 
great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness"  (I  Tim.  iii: 
16).  Mark  the  words  "without  contro- 
versy": incontrovertibly,  most  assuredly, 
"godliness "  is  a  mystery,  is  a  profound  secret, 
known  only  to  those  who  by  daily  "waiting 
upon"  the  Lord  "in  spirit  and  truth"  (John 
iv:  23),  have  attained  oneness  with  Him. 
Those  who  have  not  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  this  secret  called  "  Unity  of  Faith,"  or  one- 
ness with  God  in  love,  are  men  who  spoil 
you  through  "philosophy  and  vain  deceit" 
(Col.  ii:  9).  A  knowledge  of  sound  doctrine, 
or  doctrine  which  assuredly  heals  the  soul 
of  corruption  or  worldliness,  is  essential  to  a 
true  teacher. 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  21 

Jesus  was  even  more  emphatic  than  Paul 
as  to  the  necessity  of  understanding  what  had 
been    communicated,    for    he    said,    "when 
any  one    heareth   the  word   of   the   kingdom 
and  understandeth  it  not,  the  evil  one  cometh 
and  snatcheth  away  that  which  hath  been 
sown    in   the    heart"    (Matt,    xiii:  19).     Al- 
most the  whole  of  this  chapter  is  devoted  to 
the  inculcation  of  the  duty  of  not  only  hear- 
ing but  understanding  the  truths  taught.     It 
opens  with  the  parable  of  the  sower:  "Be- 
hold, a  sower  went  forth  to  sow,  and  as  he 
sowed  some  seeds  fell  by  the  wayside,  and 
the    birds    came    and    devoured    them;  and 
others  fell  upon  rocky  places  where  they  had 
not  much  earth ;  and  straightway  they  sprang 
up,  because  they  had  no  deepness  of  earth; 
and   when    the    sun    was    risen,    they   were 
scorched  ;  and  because  they  had  no  root,  they 
withered   away.     And   others   fell   upon   the 
thorns;  and  the  thorns  grew  up,  and  choked 
them;  and    others    fell    upon    good    ground, 
and    yielded    fruit,    some    a    hundred-fold, 
some  sixty,  some  thirty"  (verses  3-8).     Jesu? 


22  Soul  Culture 

explained  the  parable  as  follows  (see  Re- 
vised Translation  of  1881):  "when  any- 
one heareth  the  word  of  the  kingdom,  and 
under standeth  it  not,  then  cometh  the  evil 
one,  and  snatcheth  away  that  which  hath 
been  sown  in  his  heart.  This  is  he  (the  word) 
that  was  sown  by  the  wayside.  And  he 
(the  word)  that  was  sown  upon  the  rocky 
places,  this  (rocky  place)  is  he  that  heareth 
the  word,  and  straightway  receiveth  it  with 
joy,  yet  when  persecution  ariseth  he  straight- 
way stumbleth.  And  he  (the  word)  that 
was  sown  among  the  thorns,  this  (thorn)  is 
he  that  heareth  the  word  and  the  care  of  the 
world  and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches  choke 
the  word,  and  he  becometh  unfruitful.  And 
he  (the  word)  that  was  sown  upon  the  good 
ground,  this  (good  ground)  is  he  that  heareth 
the  word  and  under  standeth  it,  who  verily 
beareth  fruit  and  bringeth  forth,  some  a  hund- 
red-fold, some  sixty,  some  thirty"  (verses 
19-23).  Jesus  then  proceeded  to  illustrate 
the  parable  of  the  sower  by  the  parables  of 
the  wheat  tares,  of  the  mustard  seed,  and  of 


Faith  or  Love  oj  God  23 

the  leaven,  in  order  to  show  the  necessity  of 
fixing  the  mind  on  and  understanding  clearly 
the  truth  of  what  is  taught,  and  by  a  few 
more  parables  he  desired  to  impress  upon  his 
disciples  that,  when  the  doctrines  he  preached 
were  really  understood,  renunciation  of  the 
world  at  heart  wotdd  necessarily  follow  and 
readily  lead  to  Faith  or  love  of  Cod,  for  that 
which  obstructs  the  rise  of  faith  in  or  love  of 
God  is  the  faith  in  or  love  of  the  world/ 

The  waxing  of  the  love  of  God  depends 
indeed  upon  the  waning  of  the  love  of  the 
world.  Emphasising  this  great  truth,  one 
of  the  disciples  said,  "Know  ye  not  that  the 

*  The  parable  of  the  hidden  treasure  shows  that 
when  the  truth  of  the  teaching  is  felt  it  must  nec- 
essarily lead  to  renunciation  of  the  world  at  heart. 

The  finding  of  the  treasure  is  the  discovery  of 
the  meaning  of  the  teaching.  Being  overjoyed, 
the  finder  hopes  to  find  other  treasures  in  the  field 
(or  the  kingdom  of  God),  and  for  its  sake  he  gives 
up  all  his  worldly  possessions. 

The  parable  of  the  pearl  merchant  emphasises 
the  truth  that  such  renunciation  is  inevitable. 

And  the  parable  of  the  drag  net  is  intended  to 
explain  the  same  spiritual  experience  of  human 
nature. 


24  Soul  Culture 

love  of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God?" 
(James  iv:  4).  "If  any  man  loves  the 
world,"  said  another  disciple,  "the  love  of 
the  Father  is  not   in    him"    (I  John  ii:  15). 

Jesus  concluded  his  teaching  for  that  day 
by  asking  his  disciples,  "Have  ye  understood 
all  these  things?"  And  upon  their  answer- 
ing in  the  affirmative,  he  said,  "therefore" 
(meaning,  since  you  say  you  understand  me, 
you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  seeing  that) 
every  scribe  (that  is,  every  qualified  follower 
of  mine)  who  hath  been  taught  of  the  king- 
dom is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  master  of  a 
house  who  throws  out  of  (ekballei)  its  store- 
room (and  renounces  for  ever)  all  possessions 
new  and  old. 

It  is  not  a  little  surprising  that  the  trans- 
lators of  both  the  authorised  and  revised 
versions  of  the  Bible  have  rendered  ekballei  as 
"bringeth  forth,"  for  such  a  rendering  misses 
the  meaning  of  the  whole  chapter,  which  is 
one  of  the  most  important  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, declaring  as  it  does  the  great  truth 
that  the  "treasures"  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  25 

known  as  the  "graces"  and  the  "powers" 
of  the  spirit,  are  not  to  be  had  until  the  so- 
called  treasures  of  worldly  life  have  been 
thrown  away,  until,  as  St.  Paul  says  (Phil, 
iii:  8),  "they  are  all  counted  as  dung  so  as  to 
win  Christ."  Had  the  translators  given  to 
this  word  the  sense  of  casting  or  throwing 
out,  as  they  did  to  ekhalletai  in  Matt,  xv:  17, 
there  would  have  been  a  better  chance  of 
understanding  the  argument  of  Jesus  in- 
volved in  the  word  "therefore"  {dia  touto)  in 
verse  52.  As  it  is,  no  better  interpretation  of 
this  passage  is  suggested  by  the  commenta- 
tors than  this:  the  man  who  is  instructed 
in  the  truths  of  the  kingdom  will  produce  out 
of  his  stores  of  learning  the  teaching  of  the 
Old  Testament  supplemented  by  the  doc- 
trines of  the  New  Testament!  And  this,  in 
the  face  of  the  well-known  truths  that  learn- 
ing puffeth  up  and  love  edifieth  (I  Cor.  viii: 
i),  and  the  wisdom  of  the  world  is  foohsh- 
ness  with  God  (I  Cor.  iii:   19). 

Erroneous    interpretations    of   this    nature 
arise  from  a  want  of  what  St.  Paul  describes 


26  Soul  Culture 

as  "the  hearing  of  faith"  (or  love)  akoe 
pisteos  (Gal.  iii:  2),  that  is,  the  hearing  and 
intelligent  understanding  of  the  principles 
which  relate  to  the  development  of  Faith  in, 
or  love  of,  God.  A  qualified  teacher  and  a 
discerning  pupil  are  thus  necessary  for  Faith, 
where  it  is  not  innate  (Rom.  x;  14,  15). 

Viewing  Faith,  not  as  a  product  of  credul- 
ity, but  of  effective  teaching,  Paul  defined  it 
as  "the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen"  (Heb.  xi: 
i),  that  is,  the  realisation  or  actual  experience 
of  that  love  towards  God  which  was  long  the 
object  of  our  search,  and  the  basis  on  which 
the  spiritual  kingdom,  unseen  by  carnal 
eyes,  is  felt  to  be  really  existent. 

Pistis  was  the  religious  term  among  the 
ancient  Greeks  for  love  of  God,  correspond- 
ing to  the  Sanskrit  hhakti  or  sraddhd.  Early 
Christians  appear  to  have  adopted  that  sense 
of  the  word  and  also  to  have  often  used  agape 
in  the  same  sense. 

A  comparison  of  the  following  verses  from 
the  EvangeHsts  will  show  beyond  all  doubt 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  27 

that  pisHs  and  agape  have  been  used  synony- 
mously by  them.  In  his  discourse  on  the 
misguided  Hfe  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees, 
Jesus  is  recorded  in  the  Greek  to  have  said, 
"Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees!  for 
ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and  cummin 
{i.e.,  you  are  careful  enough  to  pay  the  taxes 
due  on  the  smallest  garden  herbs)  and  have 
left  unheeded  the  weightier  matters  of  the 
law,  namely,  the  spirit  of  discernment 
(krisis)  (which  enables  one  to  know  the  true 
object  of  the  law) ;  mercy  (elcos  or  pity  for 
the  faults,  sins,  or  sufferings  of  others);  and 
love  of  God  (pistis)"  (Matt,  xxiii  :  23). 
Luke's  record  is  as  follows:  "Woe  unto  you, 
Pharisees!  for  ye  tithe  mint  and  rue  and 
every  herb,  and  pass  over  (i.e.,  do  not  mind, 
do  not  care  to  cultivate)  the  spirit  of  discern- 
ment (krisis)  and  the  love  (agape)  of  God" 
(Luke  xi:  42).  Thus  we  vSee  that  the  Evan- 
gelists have  used  pistis  for  agape.  And  in 
Jesus'  forecast  of  the  events  that  were  to 
happen  in  the  years  following  his  crucifixion 
occurs  this  passage;  "Because  iniquity  shall 


28  Soul  Culture 

abound,  the  love  of  God  of  many  a  man 
(agape  ton  pollon)  will  shrink,  but  he  that 
standeth  firm  to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be 
saved"  (Matt,  xxiv:  12,  13).  And  as  love  of 
God  and  love  of  neighbour  are,  as  explained 
by  Jesus  in  Matt,  xxii:  39,  similar  in  sub- 
stance, we  find  agape  used  in  connection 
with  both  God  and  man:  agapeseis  ton 
iheon,  love  thy  God,  and  agapeseis  ion 
plesion,  love  thy  neighbour. 

St.  Paul  often  uses  pistis  for  love  of  God,  as 
also  for  belief  in  God,  and  agapeior  two  grada- 
tions of  love,  viz:  love  of  neighbour  or  man 
and  love  of  Christ  or  God.  In  I  Thes.  v:  8, 
he  speaks  of  children  of  light  putting  on 
pistis  (love  of  God)  and  agape  (love  of  man) 
as  a  breastplate,  and  the  hope  of  salvation  as 
a  helmet,  and  watching  for  the  day  of  the 
Lord  (ib.  v:  2).  And  in  Eph.  iv  he  im- 
pressed on  his  disciples  the  duty  of  loving 
one  another,  "forbearing  one  another  in  love  " 
(verse  2)  —  till  we  all  come  to  a  knowledge  of 
Christ  (verse  13);  and  he  ampHfied  the  same 
truth  in  Eph.  iii:  14-19,  as  follows:  "I  bow 


Faith  or  Love  of  God  29 

my  knees  unto  the  Father  .  .  .  that  he 
would  grant  you  according  to  the  riches  of 
his  glory,  .  .  .  that  Christ  may  dwell  in 
your  hearts  through  the  way  of  love  of  God 
(pistis),  that  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded 
in  neighbourly  love  (agape),  may  be  strong 
to  apprehend  (with  all  the  saints)  what  is 
the  breadth  and  length  and  depth  and  height 
(of  that  love  of  God),  and  to  know  the  love 
(agape)  of  Christ  which  passeth  knowledge, 
that  ye  may  be  filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of 
God." 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  scriptural  mean- 
ing of  Faith  as  Love  has  survived  in  common 
English  in  the  expression  "faithful  dog." 

Paul  explains  that  Love  of  God  (pistis)  is 
to  be  developed  gradually  out  of  self-love, 
till,  attaining  its  fullest  growth,  or  the  state 
called  Christly  Love,  the  perfected  saint 
becomes  one  with  God  in  Love  —  in  henotes 
tes  pisteos,  as  he  terms  it  (Eph.  iv:  13). 

Henotes  tes  pisteos  is  oneness  in  Godly 
love.  If  the  rendering  of  the  Septuagint 
translators,  namely,  "unity  of  faith,"  is  to 


30  Soul  Culture 

stand,  it  should  be  understood  as  meaning 
oneness  of  the  perfected  spirit  with  the  ever 
Perfect  Spirit  or  God,  in  regard  to  love. 
There  is  oneness,  not  in  power,  but  only  in 
love  or  peace.  Endeavour,  said  St.  Paul, 
to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace,  meaning  thereby  that  oneness  of  the 
perfected  spirit  with  God  is  attainable  by  the 
love -bond  called  peace  (Eph.  iv:  3). 

Henotes  tes  piste  os,  or  at-one-ment  with 
God  in  love,  is  a  great  spiritual  experience 
realisable  in  earthly  life  by  due  culture  of  the 
spirit  or  soul  iip  to  its  utmost  growth,  and  is 
known  to  the  Sages  of  India  as  dtma  puranam 
(spiritual  ftilness),  and  to  the  Sages  of  Judaea 
as  pleroma  tou  Christou  (fulness  of  Christ; 
Eph.  iv:  13).  It  is  only  in  this  state  of 
Perfect  Love,  as  Jesus  called  it  in  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  (Matt,  v:  48),  that  complete 
fellowship  with  God  (I  John  iii,  Phil,  ii:  6) 
or  unity  is  possible. 

The  development  of  love  to  its  full  matur- 
ity is  spoken  of  by  St.  Paul  as  the  formation 
of  Christ  in  man  (Gal.  iv:   19),  as  the  putting 


Faith  or  Love  oj  God  3 1 

on  of  the  New  Man,  evolved  in  righteousness 
and  holiness  by  the  renewal  or  remodelling 
of  the  mind  (Eph.  iv:  23,  24),  that  is,  by 
altering  erroneous  modes  of  thought  and 
guiding  oneself  by  the  principles  of  eternal 
life. 

St.  Paul  speaks  of  the  development  of  the 
soul  or  spirit  to  its  full  maturity  {helikia, 
Eph.  iv:  13)  called  Christhood  or  Messiah- 
ship,  as  a  mystery,  the  mystery  of  Christ  in 
man  (Col.  i:  27);  and  of  the  oneness  of 
Christ  (or  the  perfected  spirit)  with  the  ever 
Perfect  Spirit  called  God,  as  a  mystery  also, 
the  mystery   of  God    and  Christ  (Col.  ii:  2). 

This  mysterious  fellowship  in  actual  ex- 
perience was  denoted  by  Jesus  by  the  words 
"I  (the  perfected  son)  am  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  is  in  me"  (John  xiv:  11).  It  is 
co-existence  in  indivisible  union.  Owing 
to  the  union  being  intimate  and  inseparable, 
he  said  on  another  occasion,  "I  and  the 
Father  are  one"  (John  x:  30).  Those  happy 
expressions  convey  the  deep  truth  that  the 
Perfected  Spirit  enters  into  union  with  the 


32  Soul  Culture 

ever  Perfect  Spirit  and  remains  in  insepara- 
ble felloWvship  with  It  in  love  and  righteous- 
ness iinto  eternity. 

This  indeed  is  the  meaning  of  henotes  tes 
piste  OS.  Henotes  or  imity  is  not  in  belief  but 
in  love.  Considering  the  actual  growth  of 
the  Spirit  or  Soul,  and  the  exact  relation  it 
bears  to  God  (as  certified  by  those  who  have 
attained  its  fullest  growth  and  entered  into 
indivisible  union  with  God),  and  remember- 
ing also  the  fact  that  pistis  has  been  used  by 
the  Evangelists  as  a  synonym  for  agape,  de- 
noting love,  we  ought  to  render  henotes  tes 
piste 5s  as  Unity  of  Love  (and  not  unity  of 
belief  merely),  meaning  thereby  the  great 
spiritual  experience  known  to  the  perfected 
spirits,  to  wit,  the  oneness  of  such  spirits 
with  God  in  love  and  peace  for  all  time. 

This  is  "the  mystery  of  faith"  (musterion 
tes  piste os)  or  godly  love  which  St.  Paul 
insisted  should  be  cherished  in  the  heart  as 
the  central  doctrine  of  true  religious  life  (I 
Tim.  iii:  9).  It  is  also  called  "the  mystery 
of  Godliness  "  (ib.  iii:  16). 


CHAPTER  II 

SCRIPTURE   AND   ITS   INTER- 
PRETATION 


33 


Difficulty  of  interpreting  the   texts  of  the   Bible. 

Is  literal  meaning  to  prevail  or  intended  meaning? 

The  wresting  of  the  Scriptures  by  the   "  unlearned" 

and  "unstable"  (II  Pet.  iii:  i6)  began  in  the  first 

century. 

Who  are  the  "unstable  "  and  the  "unlearned"? 

The  exegesis  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures  how  guarded. 

Translation    of    the    Hebrew    Bible    in    Greek, 

called   the   Septuagint   version,   in   the   time 

of    Ptolemy    Philadelphus     (284-247    B.C.). 

Interpretation   of  the   hidden   truths   of  the   Bible 

must  be  according  to  the  meaning  intended  to 

be  conveyed  by  the  Biblical  Sages  who  were  men 

of  deep  spiritual  experience. 

Why  the  Sages  spoke  in  parables. 

Jesus  on  interpretation  —  "Go  ye   and  learn 

what  that  meaneth." 
Philo's   methods   of  interpretation. 
The  views  of  the  Christian   Fathers,  Clement 
and   Origen,   of   the   Catechetical   School   of 
Alexandria. 
Counter  influence  of  the  literal  interpretation 
of  the  School  of  Antioch,  and  the  final  sup- 
pression of  spiritual  interpretation. 
Proper  interpretation  of  the  Bible  cannot  be  lost 
so  long  as  men  of  deep  spiritual  experience  exist 
on  earth. 

The  comforting  words  of  Jesus:  "There  is 
nothing  covered  that  shall  not  be  revealed" 
(Matt,  x:  26).  "Seek  and  ye  shall  find" 
(ib.  vii:  7). 


34 


The    Revelation   to   St.  Paul    (Gal.  i:    11-20). 
His  teachings  not  received  from  man,  but  re- 
ceived from  God  in   Spiritual  Communion. 
Importance   of  holding  fast  to  the  interpretation 
or  knowledge  vouchsafed  to   Sages  in   Spiritual 
Communion. 
Orthodoxy  or  Right  Teaching  is  the  teaching  that 
is    consistent    with    the    spiritual    experience    of 
sanctified  men. 

They  are  "able  ministers  not  of  the  letter,  but 
of  the  spirit  "  (II  Cor.  iii:  6). 
Spiritual   experience   is   the  "Key  of  Knowledge" 
(Luke  xi:  52)  or  the  "Keys  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven"    (Matt,  xvi:   19). 


35 


SCRIPTURE  AND  ITS  INTERPRE- 
TATION 

The  determination  of  the  true  meaning 
and  scope  of  "Faith"  in  the  expression 
"Unity  of  Faith"  does  not  settle  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  intellectual  unbeliever.  For, 
though  with  the  help  of  that  definition  he 
may  feel  that  he  has  a  right  to  linger  still 
in  the  Christian  fold,  yet  must  he  own  that 
his  desire  to  "have  Faith"  in  God,  that  is, 
to  love  and  rely  on  God  and  to  know  God  in 
truth,  cannot  be  gratified  without  sound 
doctrine  as  to  the  nature  of  God,  of  the  spirit 
in  the  human  body,  and  of  the  world,  and  as 
to  the  relation  which  they  bear  to  each  other. 
The  Bible  contains  many  a  doctrine  relating 
to  these  subjects.  It  records  the  sayings 
and  doings  of  the  Lawgivers,  Prophets,  and 
Saints  whose  names  they  bear.  But  who 
can  interpret  the  texts  of  the  Bible  in  the 
sense  intended  by  the  writers  ? 
37 


38  Soul  Culture 

When  words  are  used  to  express  one's 
meaning,  are  such  words  to  be  construed 
literally  or  according  to  the  meaning  in- 
tended by  the  author?  Is  the  literal  inean- 
ing  to  prevail  or  the  intended  meaning? 
Obviously  the  intended  meaning.  But  who 
can  declare  the  intended  meaning?  Ob- 
viously those  who  know  the  speaker  thor- 
oughly, or  who  have  lived  lives  precisely 
similar  to  those  of  the  speaker.  A  worldly 
saying  is  best  interpreted  by  a  man  of  worldly 
experience.  Even  so,  a  spiritual  saying  is 
best  interpreted  by  a  man  of  spiritual  ex- 
perience. Experience  indeed  is  the  touch- 
stone of  interpretation. 

The  true  interpretation  of  the  Bible  has 
always  been  a  matter  of  dispute  from  the 
earliest  times.  St.  Peter,  referring  to  the 
written  documents  current  in  his  day  as 
the  sayings  of  Jesus,  or  the  Reminiscences 
(memorabilia)  of  Jesus  Christ,  or  the  Gospel 
of  Peace,  said,  "according  to  the  wisdom  (or 
spiritual  experience)  given  unto  him,  Paul 
hath  written   unto   you,   as   also   in   all   his 


Written  Tradition  39 

Epistles,  ...  in  which  are  some  things  hard 
to  be  understood,  which  they  that  are  tin- 
learned  and  unstable  wrest  as  they  do  also  the 
other  Scriptures,  unto  their  own  destruction  " 
(II  Peter  iii;  16). 

The  "unstable"  are  those  who,  not  being 
estabhshed  in  God,  know  not  God  and  have 
no  spiritual  discernment;  and  the  "un- 
learned "  are  those  who  have  not  learnt  at  the 
feet  of  those  who  have  spiritual  discernment. 

The  exegesis  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures  was 
carefully  guarded  by  the  Rabbis  of  Jerusa- 
lem in  the  voluminous  writings  known  as  the 
Jerusalem  Talmud  and  the  Babylonian  Tal- 
mud. The  earliest  of  these  interpretations 
was  the  midrash  (instruction)  divided  into 
legal  and  homiletical  expositions.  The 
Halacha  or  legal  exposition  dealt  with  the 
Pentateuch  and  deduced  therefrom  a  collec- 
tion of  precepts,  entitled  Halachoth.  The 
homiletical  exposition  called  tiie  Hagada 
related  to  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament  in 
its  practical  ajDplication  to  religious,  ethical, 
and  social  questions. 


40  Soul  Culture 

The  moral  and  ritual  rules  of  the  Talmud, 
which  are  precepts  not  explicitly  stated  in  the 
Bible,  are  all  founded  on  Cabbala  or  tradi- 
tion handed  down  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. This  Rabbinic  system  of  exegesis 
called  the  Cabbala  (Heb.  Quabbalah,  tradi- 
tionary interpretations,  from  Kabal,  to  re- 
ceive) declared  that  every  text  of  the  Bible 
was  capable  of  a  fourfold  interpretation 
denoted  by  the  letters  P.  R.  D.  S.,  which 
stood  for  the  words  Peshat  (explanation), 
Remez  (hint),  Danish  (homily)  and  Sod 
(mystery).  The  Rabbis  said  that  on  this 
basis  the  Law  was  explainable  in  forty-nine 
different  ways. 

When  Jerusalem  submitted  to  Alexander 
the  Great,  in  322  B.C.,  he  caused  a  great 
number  of  the  Jewish  captives  to  be  de- 
ported to  Alexandria,  which  he  had  newly 
built  in  Egypt,  and  in  301  B.C.  Ptolemy 
Soter  carried  off  many  more  thousands  of 
Jews  for  settlement  in  the  same  city.  Within 
a  few  years  the  new  settlers  prospered 
vastly   by   intercourse   with   the    Egyptians 


Written  Tradition  41 

and  the  Greeks  and  other  foreign  races  who 
flourished  in  Alexandria.  At  the  request  of 
Ptolemy  Philadelphus  (in  284-247  B.C.), 
who  was  engaged  in  collecting  the  laws  of  all 
nations  for  the  great  library  at  Alexandria, 
a  body  of  most  learned  Jews,  numbering 
about  seventy,  undertook  the  translation  of 
the  Hebrew  Bible  into  Greek,  which  afterward 
became  famous  as  the  Septuagint  (Ixx), 
came  into  use  in  the  synagogues,  and  led  to 
an  outburst  of  Jewish  literature.  Copies  of 
this  Alexandrian  version  found  their  way  into 
Palestine,  and  in  the  time  of  Jesus  Christ  the 
.original  Hebrew  version  had  fallen  into  disuse. 
The  quotations  of  the  Apostles  of  Jesus  ap- 
pear to  have  been  made  from  the  Septuagint. 
One  of  the  most  cultured  among  the  Alex- 
andrine Jews  was  Philo  Judasus,  of  the  Levite 
tribe,  bom  in  the  days  of  Jesus.  A  master 
of  the  literature  of  his  nation  and  of  that  of 
the  Greeks  and  possessed  of  much  spiritual 
insight,  he  wrote  copiously  of  the  Jewish 
Faith  and  insisted,  as  Jesus  and  St.  Paul  had 
done,   that  the    interpretation  of   the   Bible 


4^  Soul  Culture 

should  be  according  to  the  meaning  intended 
by  the  speaker.  "Thou  hast  hid  these 
things  from  the  (worldly-)  wise  and  prudent 
and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes  (or 
the  unworldly),"  said  Jesus  in  Matt,  xi:  25, 
speaking  of  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  which  is  in  us,  in  the  spirit  within 
the  body.  "The  cares  of  the  world  and  the 
deceptive  nature  of  riches  and  desires  for 
other  (worldly)  things  entering  in,  choke  the 
word  of  God"  (Mark  iv:  19).  So  that  the 
carnal  minded  "hearing,  hear  not,  and  see- 
ing, see  not,  neither  do  they  understand" 
(Matt,  xiii:  13).  When,  therefore,  they  — 
whether  priests  or  laymen  —  enter  upon  the 
task  of  interpreting  those  passages  in  the 
Bible  which  relate  to  spiritual  experiences 
or  truths,  "they  are  blind  leaders  of  the 
blind"  (Matt,  xv:  14),  bound  both  to  fall 
into  the  ditch.  Nor  is  it  useful  for  the  man 
who  has  spiritual  insight  to  try  to  communi- 
cate the  deeper  experiences  of  the  spirits  to 
one  who  "cannot  hear,"  that  is,  who  hear- 
ing   cannot    understand.     "Why  do  ye  not 


Written  Tradition  43 

understand  my  speech  ? "  asked  Jesus.  "  Even 
because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word,"  said  he 
(John  viii:  43).  "Every  one  of  the  truth 
heareth  my  voice"  (ib.  xviii:  37).  Those 
who  are  fit  for  hearing  spiritual  truths  are 
the  Godly  minded,  not  the  worldly  ones. 
"My  sheep  (i.e.,  the  Godly  minded)  hear 
my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow 
me"  (ib.  x:  27).  Others  "do  err,"  by  mis- 
understanding the  words  (Matt,  xxii:  29), 
and  get  into  perilous  frames  of  mind,  be- 
coming controversial,  angry,  spiteful,  and 
even  murderous.  "Give  not  that  which  is 
holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your 
pearls  before  swine,  lest  they  trample  them 
under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend 
you,"  said  Jesus  (Matt,  vii:  6). 

Therefore,  in  addressing  a  promiscuous 
gathering  it  is  necessary  to  speak  or  write 
in  allegory,  parables,  or  proverbs.  "I  shall 
open  my  mouth  in  parables"  said  the  Psalm- 
ist (Ps.  Ixxviii:  2).  So  the  prophet  after 
crying  out  "  Hear,  ye  deaf,  and  look,  ye  blind, 
that  ye  may  see  "   (Is.  xlii:  iS),   and  "The 


44  Soul  Culture 

eyes  of  them  that  see  shall  not  be  dim,  and 
the  ears  of  them  that  hear  shall  hearken" 
(Is.  xxxii:  3)  said  in  allegory,  "Now  will 
I  sing  to  my  well  beloved  a  song  of  my  beloved, 
touching  his  vineyard"  (Is.  v:  i),  and 
again,  "Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for 
that  which  is  not  bread,  and  your  labour  for 
that  which  satisfieth  not?  Hearken  dili- 
gently unto  me  and  eat  ye  that  which  is  good 
and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness" 
(Is.  Iv:  2).  Jesus  said,  "Go  ye  and  learn 
what  that  meaneth"  (Matt,  ix:  13);  such 
sayings  as  "They  that  are  whole  need  not  a 
physician,  but  they  that  are  sick"  (ib.); 
"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread;"  "Our 
Father  which  art  in  Heaven;"  "Thy  king- 
dom come;"  "I  and  my  Father  are  one 
(John  x:  30);"  "I  am  a  son  of  God"  (ib.  36). 
"These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in 
proverbs"  (ib.  xvi:  25),  explained  Jesus.  He 
usually  taught  in  proverbs  or  parables,  and 
the  disciples  said  unto  him,  "Why  speakest 
thou  in  parables?"  And  he  answered  "Un- 
to   you    (the    spiritually    minded)    is    given 


VvriUen  Tradition  45 

to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of 
heaven,  but  to  them  (the  worldly  minded)  it  is 
not  given"  (Matt,  xiii:  10-12). 

Ever  faithful,  Philo  reproduced  in  his 
works  to  the  best  of  his  ability  this  occult 
or  esoteric  principle  of  teaching.  He  ex- 
plained that  the  interpretation  of  the  Bible 
should  be  verbal  (literal)  for  the  illiterate 
and  the  elementary  in  faith,  and  allegorical 
for  those  who  are  mature  enough  in  spirit 
to  crave  for  the  inner  meaning  of  the  words. 

By  allegory  is  meant  a  speech  or  discourse 
which  conveys  a  meaning  different  from  the 
literal  one  (alios,  other,  and  agoreiio,  I 
speak). 

Parable  (parabole),  comparison,  derived 
from  para,  by  the  side  of,  and  ballo  I  throw, 
means  a  discourse  which  suggests  only  a  com- 
parison between  two  things.  God  and  soul, 
being  purely  spiritual,  cannot  be  explained 
sufficiently  by  words.  No  description  on  the 
part  of  a  person  who  has  known  them  can 
make  another  know  them,  even  as  the  taste 
of    water    cannot    be    expressed    in    words. 


46  Soul  Culture 

They  are  to  be  known  personally  and  not  by 
hearsay.  Therefore,  Sanctified  Sages,  who 
know  the  "Son"  and  the  "Father"  in  actual 
experience  as  transcending  quantity  and  qual- 
ity, can  only  say  "they  are  like  this."  The 
discourse  barely  reaches  the  subject  aimed 
at.  It  only  indicates  it  without  actually 
touching  it.  The  hearer  must  labor  hard  on 
the  lines  indicated,  and  attain  the  goal  in 
actual  experience. 

Proverb  and  Parable  stand  alike  for  the 
Hebrew  work  mashal.  The  Greek  transla- 
tors rendered  mashal  in  the  Septuagint  as 
paroimia,  and  the  Latin  equivalent  of  it  in 
the  Vulgate  is  proverbinm,  meaning  primar- 
ily similitude.  It  is  applicable  to  any  kind 
of  simile  or  allegory. 

Philo's  esoteric  interpretation  is  frequently 
quoted  by  Clement  and  Origen,  two  of  the 
greatest  of  the  Christian  Fathers  of  the  great 
Didascaleion  or  Catechetical  School  of  Alex- 
andria which  claimed  as  its  founder  the 
EvangeHst  St.  Mark.  St.  Clement  disapproved 
of  bodily  or  literal  (sarkikos)  interpretation 


Written  Tradition  47 

and  emphatically  declared  that  "noth- 
ing should  be  deduced  from  Scripture  but 
what  is  in  accordance  with  the  Divine  Nature" 
(Stromata,  ii:  16).  To  whom  is  this  Divine 
Nature  known  but  to  the  Sanctified  in  Spirit  ? 
(John  x:  36.)  Their  spiritual  knowledge  is 
obviously  the  truth  in  matters  relating  to 
the  Spirit.  Origen  taught  that  as  man  con- 
sists of  body  and  soul,  so  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture relate  to  the  visible  and  the  invisible, 
and  that  the  inner  (esoteric)  meaning  or 
spirit  of  the  words  could  not  be  discovered 
unless  the  interpretation  were  made  histori- 
cally, morally,  and  mystically.  But  the 
influence  of  the  Catechetical  School  of  Alexan- 
dria was  gradually  shattered  by  the  School 
of  Christians  established  at  Antioch,  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Greek  Kings  of  Syria,  and  so  at 
last  the  mystic  exegesis  or  spiritual  interpre- 
tation of  the  Bible  perished. 

But  the  proper  interpretation  of  the  Bible 
cannot  be  lost  so  long  as  men  of  deep  spiritual 
experience  exist  on  earth.  The  words  of 
Jesus    are    comforting:  "There    is    nothing 


48  Soul  Culture 

covered  that  shall  not  be  revealed,  nothing 
hid  that  shall  not  be  known"  (Matt,  x:  26). 
"Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you:  seek 
and  ye  shall  find;  knock  and  it  shall  be 
opened  unto  you"  (ib.  vii:  7). 

St.  Paul  knocked  and  it  was  opened  unto 
him, —  all  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  "God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us 
{i.e.,  me)  by  his  spirit.  .  .  .  Now  we  {i.e., 
I)  have  received  not  the  spirit  of  the  world, 
but  the  spirit  which  is  of  God,  that  we  might 
know  the  things  which  are  freely  given  to  us 
by  God:  which  things  also  we  {i.e.,  I)  speak, 
not  in  the  words  which  man's  wisdom  (or 
worldly  experience)  teacheth,  but  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  teacheth,  comparing  spiritual 
things  with  spiritual.  But  the  natural  man 
receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him,  neither 
can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually 
discerned"  (I  Cor.  ii:  10-14). 

Thus  it  is  clear  that  one  who  is  not  blessed 
with  Spiritual  Discernment  cannot  compre- 
hend  spiritual  truths,   and   ought   therefore 


Written  Tradition  49 

to  "walk  after  the  traditions"  or  traditional 
interpretation  of  those  who  have  spiritual 
discernment  (II  Thes.  ii:  15  and  iii:  6),  and 
not  to  exercise  one's  private  judgment  in 
matters  relating  to  the  spirit.  "Judge 
nothing  before  the  time  until  the  Lord  come, 
who  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of 
darkness  and  make  manifest  the  counsels 
of  the  heart"  (I  Cor.  iv:  5),  was  the  em- 
phatic declaration  of  Paul.  Mark  the  words, 
"until  the  Lord  come,"  not  objectively,  out- 
side of  the  human  organism,  in  mibibus,  but 
subjectively,  as  Peter  explains  it,  "until  the 
day  dawn,  and  the  day  star  arise,  in  your 
hearts"  (II  Peter  i:  19).  Paul  impresses  on 
Christians,  as  an  essential  condition  of  faith- 
ful discipleship,  that  they  should  not  venture 
to  judge  or  criticise  the  Traditional  Inter- 
pretation until  the  finding  of  Christ  in  their 
hearts,  until  by  proper  methods  they  have 
cleansed  their  consciousness  of  every  trace 
of  worldliness  and  made  their  souls  as  radiant 
and  pure,  as  "godly,"  as  Jesus'  was.  Then 
and  then  onlv  would  be  made  manifest  "the 


5©  Soul  Culture 

counsels  of  the  heart,"  that  is,  the  mysteries 
of  the  spiritual  side  of  man:  then  and  then 
only  would  they  be  able  to  "Judge,"  to  dis- 
cern, whether  the  Traditional  Interpreta- 
tion delivered  to  them  by  him  and  Sages  like 
him  is  or  is  not  consistent  with  Truth. 

In  the  teachings  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
which  have  come  down  to  us,  there  is  little 
to  show  that  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  were  "made  manifest"  to  them  all. 
They  had  heard  his  discourses,  followed  him 
about,  seen  his  works,  and  even  performed 
miracles,  but  as  to  their  personal  knowledge 
of  the  truth  taught  them  there  is  hardly  any 
evidence  which  may  be  called  satisfactory 
(cf.  Acts  i:  5;  ii:  2-13;  and  Matt,  vii:  22). 
John,  "the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved," 
stands  on  a  different  footing.  He  must  be 
considered  more  than  a  historian  of  Jesus, 
because,  like  Jesus,  he  bears  original  testi- 
mony to  the  kingdom  of  God.  "The  Life" 
(called  the  Light  of  men  in  John  i:  4)  he 
declared  "was  manifested  and  we  have  seen 
It,  and  bear  witness  and  show  unto  you  that 


Written  Tradition  51 

Eternal  Life  which  was  with  the  Father  and 
was  manifested  unto  us"  (I  John  1:2).  Life 
eternal  is  the  unchanging  "I  am"  or  Pure 
Spirit  in  man,  and  its  glory  John  did  behold 
within  himself,  the  glory  of  the  Father,  as 
well  as  the  glory  of  the  Son  (John  i:  14), 
identically  the  same  in  substance,  being  one 
in  spirit  —  in  Unity  of  Faith  (I  Cor.  vi:  17; 
Eph.  iv:  3).  Speaking,  therefore,  from  per- 
sonal experience,  John  spoke  almost  if  not 
quite  as  authoritatively  and  uncompromis- 
ingly as  Jesus  did,  "  Believe  not  every  spirit " 
{pneuma)  [every  man  who  poses  as  a  puri- 
fied soul,  claiming  to  know  the  mysteries  of 
the  kingdom]  "but,"  said  he,  "try  the 
spirits  whether  they  are  of  God"  (I  John  iv: 
i);  and  his  Epistle  contains  ample  instruc- 
tions to  distinguish  the  true  from  the  false 
spirit. 

To  return  to  Paul.  His  exposition  was 
also  based  on  his  own  spiritual  experience. 
He  is  not  known  to  have  seen  or  heard  Jesus 
in  life.  He  avows  that  he  proclaimed  the 
truth  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  not  second 


51  Soul  Culture 

hand,  but  as  manifested  to  him  in  his  own 
consciousness.  "I  certify  you,  brethren," 
said  he  to  the  Galatians,  "that  the  gospel 
which  was  preached  of  me  is  not  after  any 
man.  For  I  neither  received  it  of  man, 
neither  was  I  taught  it.  .  .  .  But  when  it 
pleased  God,  who  separated  me  from  my 
mother's  womb  (that  is,  my  soul  from  sensu- 
ous life),  and  called  me  by  His  grace,  in  order 
to  reveal  His  Son  in  me,  .  .  .  immediately 
I  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood:  neither 
went  I  up  to  Jerusalem  to  them  who  were 
Apostles  before  me;  but  I  went  into  Arabia 
and  returned  again  unto  Damascus.  Then 
after  three  years  I  went  up  to  Jerusalem  to 
see  Peter,  and  abode  with  him  fifteen  days. 
But  other  of  the  Apostles  saw  I  none,  save 
James,  the  Lord's  brother.  Now  the  things 
which  I  write  unto  you,  behold,  before  God 
I  lie  not"  (Gal.  i:  11-20).  Thus  let  into  the 
mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  —  made  to 
realise  the  great  spiritual  experience  called 
Unity  of  Faith  or  oneness  with  God  in  love, 
—  he    likened    himself   to    a    "wise    master 


Written  Tradition  53 

builder,"  and  said  simply  and  truly,  "I 
have  laid  the  foundation;  .  .  .  other  foun- 
dation can  no  man  lay  than  that  which  is 
laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.  .  .  .  But  let 
every  man  take  heed  how  he  buildeth  there- 
upon ...  for  the  day  shall  declare  it" 
(I  Cor.  iii:  10,  13).  He  means  that  the  foun- 
dation which  was  revealed  to  him  was  identi- 
cal with  the  foundation  which  was  revealed 
to  Jesus,  namely,  "the  son"  (Matt,  xvi:  16, 
18)  or  the  perfected  Spirit  in  whom  God 
abides  as  in  a  temple,  and  through  whom 
God  reveals  all  the  principles  of  true  life. 
The  evil  of  men  who,  "seeming  to  be  wise  in 
this  world"  (I  Cor.  iii:  18),  attempt  to  ex- 
pound the  doctrines  or  to  prescribe  practices 
for  the  attainment  of  the  Temple  of  God, 
which  is  the  spirit  in  the  body,  is  also  clearly 
pointed  out.  When  the  day  dawns,  and  the 
day  star  arises  in  the  heart,  its  light  of  "fire 
shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it 
is:  if  any  man's  work  abide  which  he  hath 
built  thereupon,  he  shall  receive  a  reward; 
if  any  man's  work  shall  be  burned,  he  shall 


54  Soul  Culture 

suffer  loss"  (I  Cor.  iii:  15).  The  absolute 
certainty  of  exposure  of  unsound  doctrines 
and  practices  as  soon  as  "Unity  of  Faith" 
or  Godly  Experience  is  attained,  and  their 
mischievous  effects  on  both  him  who  pro- 
pounds and  those  who  adopt  them,  could  not 
have  been  more  impressively  declared. 

The  simple  duty  of  "babes  in  Christ"  is 
to  work  according  to  the  Traditional  Inter- 
pretation, that  is,  the  communication  made 
to  Sages  by  God  in  spiritual  communion,  in 
order  that  by  "love  of  the  truth"  {pistis 
alethcias)  taught  by  the  qualified  teacher  and 
" sanctification  of  the  spirit"  (or  complete 
purification  of  the  soul  from  its  worldly 
attachments),  they  may  be  "saved "(II  Thes. 
ii:  15),  that  is,  healed  of  corruption,  so  as 
to  be  rendered  fit  for  fellowship  with  God. 

According  to  Jesus  and  his  Apostles,  in- 
deed according  to  the  very  nature  of  things, 
no  man  can  know  whether  the  Traditions  or 
communications  from  God  made  to  those 
who  are  in  fellowship  with  Him  are  consistent 
or    not  with    truth    except    after    his    own 


Written  Tradition  55 

"salvation,"  except  after  he  himself  has  had 
the  great  experience  of  Unity  of  Faith,  or 
at-one-ment  with  God  in  love. 

The  ultimate  standard  of  Orthodoxy  (right 
teaching)  is  this  actual  experience  of  the 
spirit,  or  complete  knowledge  of  the  spirit, 
or  full  "spiritual  discernment"  (I  Cor.  ii;  14). 
As  worldly  Truths  are  accepted  on  the 
testimony  of  men  great  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  world  and  tested  in  due  course  by 
one's  own  experience,  so  Spiritual  Truths 
must  be  accepted  at  first  on  the  testimony 
of  men  great  in  the  knowledge  of  the  spirit, 
and  brought  ultimately  in  the  fulness  of 
time  to  the  touchstone  of  one's  own  experi- 
ence of  the  spirit. 

St.  Paul  declares  that  his  preaching  of 
Christ  in  man  (Col.  i:  27)  is  not  "the  tra- 
ditions of  men,  after  the  rudiments  of  the 
world"  (Col.  ii:  8),  that  is,  traditions 
founded  upon  the  material  or  sensual  percep- 
tions of  men.  They  are  not  "philosophy" 
(ib.)  or  speculative  thought,  for  "the  wis- 
dom of  the  world  is  foolishness  with  God" 


56  Soul  Culture 

(I  Cor.  iii:  19).  He  means  to  say  that  the 
knowledge  of  things  founded  upon  the  reports 
of  the  senses  and  inferences  of  thought  is 
utterly  misleading  as  regards  knowledge  of 
God,  who  transcends  thoughts,  who  is  Pure 
Spirit.  The  traditions  relating  to  the  spirit 
are  traditions  after  Christ  (Col.  ii:  8),  that 
is,  traditions  according  to  those  who  have 
attained  the  maturity  of  the  spiritual  state 
called  the  Fulness  of  Christ  (Eph.  iv:  13)  — 
"doctrine  which  is  according  to  Godliness" 
(I  Tim.  vi:  3),  that  is,  truths  ascertained  in 
the  deep  spiritual  communion  known  as 
"Unity  of  Faith"  or  Oneness  with  God  in 
Spirit.  This  actual  knowledge  of  God  makes 
men  able  interpreters,  "not  of  the  letter,  but 
of  the  spirit"  (II  Cor.  iii:  6),  of  books  of 
Spiritual  Experiences,  like  the  Bible.  Jesus 
referred  to  this  knowledge  of  the  soul  and 
knowledge  of  God  as  "the  Keys  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven"  (Matt,  xvi:  19),  or  the 
"Key  of  Knowledge"  (Luke  xi:  52),  that  is, 
the  Key  called  Knowledge  of  Truth  Eternal. 


CHAPTER  III 

ON  THE  TRADITIONAL  ORAL    INTER- 
PRETATION OF  THE  SCRIPTURES, 
AND  THE  DISASTROUS  CONSE- 
QUENCES OF  ITS  LOSS  TO 
WESTERN   NATIONS 


57 


Jesus  taught  wholly  by  word  of  mouth,  and  his 
traditions  were  not  available  in  writing  for  many 
years  after  his  crucifixion. 
Why  such  traditions  were  meagrely  and  even  ob- 
scurely committed  to  writing. 
St.  Paul's  reference  to  oral  and  written   traditions 

(II  Thes.  ii:   15). 
The  Catholic  Church's  claim  that  the  oral  inter- 
pretation  is  still    in  its  custody  denied  by  the 
reformed  churches. 

Archbishop   Thomson's   views   considered. 
The  investigations  of  Papias,  Bishop  of  Hier- 
apolis,   140  A.C. 
The  loss  of  oral  tradition  led  to  multiplicity  of  inter- 
pretations of  the  written  tradition. 
Attempt  of  Emperor  Constantine  to  settle  a  creed 
for  Christendom  by  a  conclave  of  Bishops. 

The  first  (Ecumenical  Council  held  at   Nicaea, 

A.C.  325,  and  other  councils. 
Difficulties   of   distinguished    Churchmen    with 
regard  to  the  dogmas. 
Christianity  converted  into  Churchianity  by  literary 
and  historical  problems,  full  of  vain  "questions 
and  strifes  of  words"  (I  Tim.  vi:  4). 
Effect  of  these  controversies  on  the  educated  intel- 
lects of  Western  lands. 

Rise   of  agnosticism,  irreverence,  materialism, 

and  atheism. 
Wide   prevalence   of  self-love. 
Nature  of  self-love  considered. 
Self-love  a  menace  alike  to  the  household  and 
state. 


58 


Dangers  of  education  devoid  of  spiritual  knowledge. 
Commercial  dishonesty. 
Immorality  in  politics. 
Sensationalism  in  literature. 
Poverty  and  crime  in  cities. 
Infidelity  and  belief  in  externals. 
True  goal  of  civilisation  is  love  of  God  and  love  of 

fellowmen. 
Necessity  for  right  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  so 
as  to  make  it  a  book  of  living  spiritual  force  among 
the  people. 
Practicability  of  such   interpretation   through   the 
Jivanmuktas  or  Jndnis  of  India. 


59 


ON  THE  TRADITIONAL  ORAL  INTER- 
PRETATION OF  THE  vSCRIPTURES, 
AND  THE  DISASTROUS  CONSE- 
QUENCES OF  ITS  LOSS  TO 
WESTERN    NATIONS 

Jesus  delivered  his  tradition  wholly  by 
word  of  mouth,  and  so  did  his  disciples  for 
many  years  after  the  crucifixion.  Then  by 
degrees  his  sayings  and  doings  were  com- 
mitted to  writing  meagrely  and  even  ob- 
scurely, lest  they  should  be  misunderstood, 
misapplied,  or  despised,  or  should  lead  to 
the  injury  or  destruction  of  the  bearers  of 
the  traditions.  "Give  not  that  which  is  holy 
unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your  pearls 
before  swine,  lest  they  trample  them  under 
their  feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend  you," 
said  Jesus  (Matt,  vii:  6),  knowing  that  it 
was  the  habit  of  his  countrymen  to  discredit 
and  persecute  prophets  and  Sages  from  city 
to  city  (Matt,  v:  12,  xxiii:  37).  The  work 
6i 


62  Soul  Culture 

of  redemption  of  those  who  hunger  and 
thirst  for  Peace,  when  actively  carried  on, 
has  always  involved  the  redeemers  in  danger, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  doctrines  re- 
lating to  the  Sanctification  of  the  Spirit 
falsify  the  ways  of  the  worldly-minded,  both 
teachers  and  the  taught,  who  are  the  blind 
leading  the  blind.  The  seeds  of  truth  are, 
therefore,  not  acceptable  to  them  and  should 
not  be  given  to  them.  It  is  not  only  Jesus 
who  suffered  crucifixion,  but  Peter  also;  and 
Paul  was  beheaded  (A.C.  68).  And  as  to 
those  who  by  native  disposition  or  previous 
culture  are  qualified  to  receive  the  truth, 
only  so  much  of  it  should  be  given  at  a  time 
as  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  condition 
of  each  can  assimilate.  Therefore  did  Isaiah 
say  in  impressive  language  "the  word  of 
the  Lord  was  unto  them  precept  upon  pre- 
cept, line  upon  line;  here  a  little,  there  a 
little;  that  they  might  go  and  fall  backward, 
and  be  broken  and  snared  and  taken" 
(Isa.  xxviii:  13).  The  necessity  of  " snaring " 
those  born  and  bred  to  the  ways  of  the  world. 


Unwritten  Tradition  63 

and  taking  them  captive  only  gradually  and 
by  a  slow  leavening  process,  did  not  permit 
Paul  and  other  masters  to  record  openly  even 
for  these  spirits  the  Traditions  relating  to 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  From  such  causes 
arose  the  meagreness  and  obscurity  of  the 
Scriptures.  It  should  not  be  supposed  that 
the  Scriptures  are  not  part  of  the  traditions, 
for  Paul  clearly  says  that  the  traditions  were 
written  and  unwritten.  "Stand  fast  and 
hold  the  traditions  which  ye  have  been 
taught,  whether  by  word  or  our  epistle" 
(II  Thes.  ii:  15).  The  Scripture  is  the 
written  Tradition,  and  its  necessary  com- 
plement is  oral  tradition. 

It  is  maintained  by  the  Catholic  Roman 
Church  that  the  traditional  oral  interpreta- 
tion of  Scripture,  "coming  first  from  God 
and  continually  taught,  is  in  all  desirable 
ways  kept  alive  by  a  body  of  trust- 
worthy men  successively  cho.sen  in  a  divine 
or  divinely  appointed  manner,  and  well 
instructed,  who  are  moreover  protected  by 
God  as  a  body  from  teacliing  wliat  is  wrong 


64  Soul  Culture 

or  handing  down  unfaithfully  to  others  the 
doctrine  committed  to  them"  (Catholic  Be- 
lief, by  the  Very  Rev.  Dr.  J.  di  Bruno). 
The  Protestant  Sects,  on  the  other  hand, 
deny  the  existence  of  any  such  oral  tradition. 
"Beyond  the  Bible  nothing  exists,"  said  the 
late  Archbishop  Thomson,  of  the  Church  of 
England.  "When  Athanasius  is  vindicat- 
ing (A.C.  319)  against  Arius  the  divine  char- 
acter of  our  Lord,  it  is  notable  that  he  does 
not  appeal  to  the  traditions  or  the  like;  he 
appeals  text  by  text  to  the  blessed  word  of 
God.  When  Thomas  Aquinas,  in  the  days 
of  a  great  new  literature  then  reviving  (A.C. 
1275),  has  to  grapple  with  the  mighty  task 
of  putting  in  its  proper  place  that  new  litera- 
ture, he  again  appeals  constantly  to  the 
final  law  and  word,  the  Divine  Books.  .  .  . 
So,  when  we  come  down  to  the  present 
moment,  we  are  obliged  to  admit  that,  if 
indeed  it  should  ever  happen  that  criticism 
should  undermine  the  authority  of  the  Word 
of  God,  it  leaves  us  nothing  beyond.  .  .  . 
The  Bible  is  the  authority  of  High  Churchmen 


Univritten  Tradition  6^ 

and  Low  Churchmen,  the  authority  of  every- 
one who  in  the  name  of  God  preaches  Christ's 
gospel  day  after  day.  There  is  no  other 
ultimate  authority.  However  we  may  en- 
deavour to  interpret  and  associate  the 
word  of  Scripture  with  other  teaching,  all 
acknowledge  that  the  Word  of  God  sets 
forth  Christ  and  his  nature;  that  it  needs 
nothing  to  interpret  it  practically  in  all 
the  great  outlines  of  the  Christian  faith" 
(Address  to  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  dehvered  at  Exeter  Hall  on  May  7, 
1890). 

It  is  idle  to  deny  the  difficulties  of  inter- 
preting what  are  expressly  declared  in  the 
Bible  to  be  the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  (Mark  iv:  11),  the  mystery  of  Godli- 
ness (I  Tim.  iii:  16),  the  hidden  wisdom 
(I  Cor.  ii:  7),  the  many  hard  sayings  (John 
vi:  60),  proverbs  (John  xvi:  25)  and  para- 
bles (Matt,  xiii:  34,  Luke  viii:  8),  the  mys- 
tery of  the  gospel  of  peace  (Eph.  vi:  15,  19), 
the  mystery  of  Christ  in  God  (Col.  i:  26, 
27).    or   the    formation    of     Christ     in    man 


66  Soul  Culture 

(Gal.  iv:  19),  or  the  mystery  of  the  Unity  of 
Love  (Eph.  iv:  13),  and  other  mysteries.  It 
is  equally  idle  to  deny  oral  traditions  alto- 
gether, because  St.  Paul  refers  to  them 
especially  (II  Thes.  ii:  15;  I  Cor.  xi:  2),  and 
Jesus'  sayings  were  obviously  not  all  com- 
mitted to  writing  lest  "dogs"  and  "swine" 
should  read  them.  It  is  also  incorrect  to 
say  that  Thomas  Aquinas  appealed  to  the 
Bible  as  the  final  law,  for  (as  Dr.  T.  M. 
Lindsay  points  out)  this  great  writer,  whom 
Pope  John  XXII  canonised,  insisted  that 
"Revelation  is  not  Scripture  alone,  for 
Scripture  taken  by  itself  does  not  correspond 
exactly  with  his  descriptions ;  nor  is  it  Church 
tradition  alone,  for  Church  tradition  must  so 
far  rest  on  Scripture.  Revelation  is  a  divine 
source  of  knowledge,  of  which  Scripture  and 
Church  tradition  are  the  channels"  (Art. 
"Aquinas,"  in  Encyclop.  Britannica).  The 
unwritten  tradition,  delivered  by  Jesus,  John, 
Paul,  and  others,  had  ceased  to  influence  the 
Church  long  before  the  controversies  which 
necessitated  the    calling  of  the   CEcumenical 


Unwritten  Tradition  67 

councils  came  to  a  head,  not  because  the 
unwritten  tradition  never  existed,  but  be- 
cause it  was  lost. 

In  the  first  century,  the  Christian  Church, 
known  among  orthodox  Hebrews  as  the 
minim  or  Heretics,  was  itself  split  up  into 
many  Heresies  or  Schools  of  Doctrines,  man- 
ifesting much  hatred  towards  each  other. 
In  the  earliest  decades  after  the  Ascension 
we  see  the  Judseo-Christians  engaged  in  a 
severe  conflict  with  the  Gentile  Christians, 
owing  to  a  complete  misunderstanding  of  the 
spiritual  meaning  of  the  doctrines  of  Jesus. 
The  oral  traditions  of  the  great  Master  were 
already  lost  to  the  Judaisers.  After  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  commonly 
known  as  the  Apostles  of  Jesus,  their  imme- 
diate disciples  and  fellow-labourers  worked 
in  different  centres  and  were  known  as 
the  Apostolic  Fathers,  such  as  Barnabas  (the 
companion  of  St.  Paul  and  the  author  of 
the  Epistles  of  Barnabas),  Clemens  Romanus 
(the  Bishop  of  Rome,  93-101  A.C.),  Igna- 
tius  (the   Bishop  of  Antioch,   martyred    109 


68  Soul  Culture 

A.C.),  Polycarp  (the  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  mar- 
tyred 1 66  A.C.),  and  Hermas  (the  author  of 
the  Pastor  of  Hermas).  Their  days  were 
full  of  factions.  The  different  Christian 
Churches  were  holding  fast  to  the  Bible  so 
far  as  it  had  been  put  together,  but  had  not 
the  Key  of  Knowledge  to  interpret  truly  the 
texts  which  created  the  manifold  misunder- 
standings. Papias,  the  Bishop  of  Hierapolis, 
who  wrote  a  book  called  the  Expositions 
of  the  Oracles  of  the  Lord,  about  the  year 
140,  declares  that  he  did  his  best  to  inves- 
tigate the  traditional  interpretations  of 
Jesus  by  inquiring  of  those  who  had  "at- 
tached themselves  to  the  elders"  what 
Andrew,  Peter,  Philip,  Thomas,  James, 
John,  Matthew,  and  other  disciples  of  the 
Lord  had  delivered  to  them  (Bishop  Light- 
foot's  Apostolic  Fathers,  p.  527,  et  seq.).  He 
speaks  so  apologetically  of  the  oral  tradi- 
tions which  he  had  gathered,  as  to  clearly 
indicate  that,  even  in  the  early  part  of 
the  second  century,  it  was  hopeless  to  at- 
tempt to  restore  them.     The  loss  of  the  oral 


Unwritten  Tradition  69 

exposition  would  of  course  necessitate  a 
multiplicity  of  "interpretations,"  varying 
according  to  the  number  of  factions  then 
in  existence,  and  this  is  precisely  what  the 
testimony  of  Bishop  Papias  establishes. 

Though  among  the  Christian  sects  there 
was  great  misunderstanding  as  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  many  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  the  reverence  they  felt  for  Jesus  and 
his  Apostles,  their  firm  belief  in  a  future 
state,  their  contempt  for  sensuousness,  their 
purity  of  character  in  private  life,  and  their 
constant  expectation  of  the  coming  of  Christ 
and  the  reign  of  God,  sorely  troubled  the 
Roman  government.  It  saw  how  Christ- 
ianity thrived  in  spite  of  its  edicts  and 
persecutions;  how  Christian  martyrs  march- 
ing to  the  fagots  that  were  ready  to  con- 
sume them  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would 
inherit  the  earth ;  and  how  in  many  ways  this 
new  religion,  spreading  itself  into  the  towns 
and  the  civil  and  military  services  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  dared  to  match  itself  against 
it  and  Judaism  together. 


yo  Soul  Culture 

In  the  third  and  the  commencement  of 
the  fourth  centuries,  the  dissensions  among 
Christians  grew  to  be  so  widespread  that 
Emperor  Constantine  thought  it  prudent  in 
the  interest  of  general  peace  to  bring  about 
a  reconcihation,  and  for  that  purpose  to  con- 
vene an  assembly  of  ecclesiastics  of  every 
rank,  sect,  and  denomination,  computed  at 
two  thousand  forty-eight  persons,  of  whom 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  were  bishops 
(Gibbon's  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  III,  chap,  xx,  p.  39).  This  was  the 
first  OEcumenical  Council,  held  at  Nicaea  in 
Bithynia,  A.C.  325.  The  session  lasted  about 
two  months  and  resulted  in  the  adoption  of 
the  Nicene  Creed. 

From  the  third  to  the  middle  of  the  fifth 
century  the  chief  problem  of  theological 
speculation  was  as  regards  the  central  doc- 
trine itself  of  Christianity,  namely,  the  person 
of  Christ  and  the  function  of  Christ.  Four 
great  councils  attempted  to  solve  this  funda- 
mental difficulty.  They  were  held  at  Nicaea, 
as    already  said,   in    325;   at  Constantinople 


Unwritten  Tradition  71 

in  381;  at  Ephesus  in  431,  and  Chalcedon 
in  451. 

The  Chalcedonian  Creed  ranks  next  in 
authority  to  the  Apostles'  Creed  (Acts  x: 
36-43)  and  the  Nicene  Creed.  Six  hundred 
and  thirty  bishops  and  deputies  met  in 
Chalcedon,  a  city  opposite  Constantinople  on 
the  Bosphorus,  at  the  request  of  Emperor 
Marcianus,  in  order  to  settle  the  controver- 
sies raised  on  the  subject  of  the  Person  of 
Christ  by  the  Eutychians  and  Nestorians. 
The  proceedings  during  the  three  weeks  of 
the  council's  session  were  so  tumultuous  that 
the  lay  commissioners  of  the  Emperor  had 
to  urge  the  Church  dignitaries  to  keep  order, 
saying  that  such  vulgar  outcries  {ckhoeseis 
demotikai)  were  disgraceful.  By  a  majority, 
the  Eutychian  and  Nestorian  controversies 
were  over-ruled  and  a  Creed  adopted. 

What  though  conclaves  of  learned  Bishops, 
backed  by  the  authority  of  puissant  Em- 
perors, undertook  to  determine  for  Western 
Nations  what  the  Christian  Creed  should  be? 
It  is  admitted  by  some  of  the  most  sagacious 


72  Soul  Culture 

of  Christian  theologians  to  be  only  a  formula 
of  words,  difficult  to  understand  and  impos- 
sible to  realise.  The  great  Athanasius, 
Bishop  of  Alexandria,  candidly  confessed 
that  as  often  as  he  tried  to  meditate,  for 
instance,  on  the  divinity  of  the  Logos, 
his  efforts  recoiled  on  themselves,  and  the 
more  he  thought  of  it,  the  less  he  compre- 
hended it  (Athanasius,  Tom.  i,  p.  808).  St. 
Augustine  (A.C.  430)  also  owned  that  there 
are  more  things  in  the  Bible  he  did  not  un- 
derstand than  those  he  did.  And  we  have 
the  testimony  in  our  own  days  of  Cardinal 
Newman  that  "  every  article  of  the  Christian 
Creed,  whether  as  held  by  the  Catholics  or 
by  the  Protestants,  is  beset  with  intellectual 
difficulties,  and  it  is  simple  fact,"  said  he, 
"that  for  myself  I  cannot  answer  those  diffi- 
culties." Thus  has  dogma  taken  the  place 
of  the  quickening  precepts  of  Jesus  and 
Paul.  The  Christianity  taught  by  these 
masters  has  been,  alas,  "killed  "  (II  Cor. 
iii:  6)  by  unsound  interpretation,  and  there 
remains    now    instead    Churchianity,    or    an 


Unwritten  Tradition  73 

aggregate  of  different  literary  and  historical 
problems  full  of  vain  "questions  and  strifes 
of  words  "  (I  Tim.  vi:  4),  wholly  incapable 
of  making  man  wise  unto  salvation  (II  Tim. 
iii :  15).  The  educated  intellects  of  the  West- 
em  world,  in  full  appreciation  of  the  fact 
that,  if  moral  principles  and  the  personal 
history  of  the  heroes  of  the  Bible  were 
expunged  from  it,  little  would  remain  for 
intelligent  comprehension  or  practical  accept- 
ance, have  agreed,  some  to  discredit  the 
lights  of  the  Church,  others  to  view  the  sal- 
vation preached  by  Jesus  as  an  idle  fancy. 
What  disastrous  consequences  have  flown 
from  a  want  of  sound  religious  knowledge 
and  belief  in  a  future!  People  have  become 
steeped  in  worldliness,  materialism,  irrever- 
ence, and  atheism. 

A  worldly  minded  person  is  a  stumbling 
block  unto  himself  and  to  every  guileless 
person.  He  is  what  St.  Paul  calls  a  Lover 
of  Self.  To  give  the  full  sense  of  the  words 
in  II  Tim.  iii:  2-7:  "In  the  domestic  circle, 
the  Lover  of  Self  or  self-lover  pays  no  heed 


74  Soul  Culture 

to  the  voice  of  his  natural  guardians,  is  de- 
void of  affection  for  those  whom  he  should 
love,  is  unthankful,  not  willing  to  oblige,  nor 
easily  pacified.  Abroad,  he  puts  on  the 
appearance  of  goodness  without  believing 
in  its  virtue,  is  false  in  friendship,  given  to 
belittling  others,  boastful  of  his  own  deeds, 
unforgiving,  scornful,  much  inclined  to  the 
pleasures  of  the  senses,  easily  urged  by  ex- 
ternal influences,  and  led  away  by  divers 
desires." 

A  person  actuated  by  self-love  is  a  menace 
alike  to  the  household  and  state.  Mere 
intellectual  education  makes  the  self-lover 
skilled  in  the  art  of  doing  without  compunc- 
tion what  others  of  fine  feeling  are  ashamed, 
or  have  not  the  heart,  to  do.  He  is  often 
a  clever  rogue  —  great  in  evading  detection. 
When  selfish  persons  take  to  economical  life 
and  deal  with  the  creation  and  distribution  of 
commodities  necessary  for  the  maintenance 
and  comfort  of  the  body,  they  adulterate 
foodstuffs,  resort  to  mean  devices  in  pro- 
duction, and  charge  excessive  prices  for  the 


Unwritten  Tradition  75 

articles  made  or  carried.  Others  resort  to 
what  is  called  "pooling"  in  America,  or  the 
sweeping  together  of  commercial  interests 
so  as  to  form  monopolies  or  "trusts,"  the 
profits  of  which  go  to  enrich  them  at  the 
expense  of  the  ordinary  consumer.  They 
raise  and  lower  prices  at  will  and  care  not 
for  the  fate  of  the  petty  trader.  Not  con- 
tent with  the  advantages  enjoyed  by  them, 
they  invade  the  political  arena  and  buy  up 
largely  the  elective  power  of  the  people. 
They  then  press  on  all  sides  upon  the  gov- 
ernment and  endeavour  to  control  legisla- 
tion at  their  will.  In  the  field  of  literature, 
too,  their  baneful  influence  is  in  the  ascen- 
dant. They  form  the  largest  portion  of  the 
nation,  and  their  taste  for  reading  is  all  in 
the  line  of  sentimental  and  sensational 
amusement.  Consequently,  those  who  are 
engaged  in  the  production  of  books,  maga- 
zines, and  newspapers  find  themselves 
obHged  to  write  and  publish  what  is  funny, 
fanciful,  and  thrilling,  to  the  serious  neg- 
lect of    the  higher  life  of    humanity.      The 


76  Soul  Culture 

materialism  of  the  age  has  affected  the  very- 
teachers  of  spirituaHty.  Many  and  wealthy 
are  the  churches,  and  learned  and  eloquent 
are  the  preachers,  but  the  congregations  and 
the  rulers  thereof  have  agreed  to  don  and 
doff  their  religion  with  their  Sunday  clothes. 
The  constituted  leaders  of  religion  do  not 
appear  to  have  a  hold  on  the  people  and 
they  are  all,  with  the  exception  of  a  few, 
drifting  to  the  perils  of  a  life  devoid  of  a 
goal.  As  to  the  scientists,  who  are  nobly 
labouring  in  colleges  and  other  places,  their 
discoveries  have  been  applied  to  the  further 
materialisation  of  the  country  by  sensuous 
seekers  of  the  "almighty  dollar." 

Spirituality  may  be  said  to  be  just  trying 
to  live  in  exceptional  places  only,  for  the 
self-lover  is  rampant  everywhere.  An  un- 
developed multitude  —  undeveloped  in  love 
and  light,  undeveloped  in  the  art  of  distin- 
guishing between  that  which  is  perishable 
and  imperishable  —  undeveloped  in  spiritual 
discernment  —  has  been  made  immensely 
powerful   by   the   elective   franchise    and   is 


Unwritten  Tradition  77 

rapidly  disintegrating  the  influence  for  good 
of  the  highest  and  best  part  of  England  and 
other  countries  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 
In  the  East  end  of  London  and  other  poverty- 
stricken  cities  of  the  Western  world,  gaunt 
women  with  tangles  of  matted  hair  and  wild 
eyes  move  through  filthy  courts  amidst 
filthier  men  deep  in  drink,  gibbering,  and 
cursing.  When  I  turn  from  this,  says  a 
cultured  Englishman,  speaking  of  England 
in  particular,  and  see  deadly  respectability 
quaffing  its  wine  and  discussing  the  rise  and 
fall  of  stocks;  when  I  see  the  struggle,  the 
fear,  the  envy,  the  profound  infidelity  in 
which  the  monied  classes  live;  when  the 
faces  of  their  children  come  to  me  pleading, 
pleading  —  every  bit  as  the  children  of  the 
city  poor — for  one  touch  of  nature;  of  child- 
ren who  have  been  stuffed  with  lies  all  their 
lives,  who  have  been  told  that  they  cannot 
do  without  this  and  that  and  a  thousand 
things,  all  of  which  are  wholly  unnecessary; 
of  children  who  have  been  taught  to  rever- 
ence ridicule,  and  sleep  in  unbelief  and  act 


78  Soul  Culture 

against  all  their  truer  instincts  till  their 
young  judgments  are  confused  and  their 
finer  impulses  actually  cease  to  be  a  guide 
to  them;  when  I  hear  and  see  the  droning 
and  seesawing  of  pulpits,  when  the  vision 
of  perfect  vulgarity  and  common  pi  aceness 
called  society  arises  upon  me  with  all  its 
theory  of  what  it  is  to  be  a  lady  or  a  gentle- 
man, of  exclusiveness  and  of  being  in  the 
swim,  of  the  drivel  of  aristocratic  connections, 
of  drawing-rooms  and  animated  clothes  pegs; 
when  I  see  the  sea  of  infidelity  and  of  belief 
in  externals  spreading  among  town  coun- 
cillors, cabinet  ministers,  members  of  Parlia- 
ment, generals,  judges,  bishops;  when  I  look 
for  help  from  the  guides  and  see  only  a 
dead  waste  of  simpering  faces,  O!  England, 
whither,  strangled,  tied,  and  bound,  art  thou 
come?  asks  this  spiritually -minded  man. 

Similarly  situated  are  other  countries  of 
Europe  and  America.  Their  governors  find 
themselves  paralysed  in  the  performance  of 
their  duty  of  keeping  order  amidst  this 
seething  selfish  humanity. 


Unwritten  Tradition  79 

Are  not  the  complex  problems  of  western 
civilisations  due  to  an  imperfect  appreciation 
on  the  part  of  the  governors  and  the  governed 
as  to  what  Progress  is?  Does  not  true  Pro- 
gress mean  growth  of  the  Spirit  in  Light  and 
Love?  Is  not  Civihsation  the  force  in- 
tended to  develop  self-love  into  neighbourly 
love,  and  neighbourly  love  into  Christly 
Love,  or  the  love  that  would  labour  for 
others  unthanked  and  even  unrecognized, 
just  as  God  works  in  the  world  of  men  for 
their  own  good,  unseen  and  caring  naught 
for  their  praises  and  abuses?  What  have 
the  governments  of  Christian  countries  done 
to  develop  spiritual  growth?  Is  not  the 
first  step  in  this  growth  the  distinction  be- 
tween the  perishable  and  the  imperishable, 
between  the  body  and  the  spirit,  and  what 
book  is  there  in  the  West  which  contains  so 
much  teaching  on  Spiritual  Discernment  as 
the  Bible?  Should  it  not  be  rightly  inter- 
preted and  made  to  be  a  living  force  among 
the  people,  instead  of  the  discredited  book 
it  has  become? 


8o  Sold  Culture 

It  is  earnestly  submitted  that  though  the 
dogmas  of  the  Church  are,  in  the  words  of 
Cardinal  Newman,  "beset  with  intellectual 
difificulties  "  and  are  not  to  be  explained,  yet 
the  doctrines  of  Jesus  are  neither  difficult  to 
understand  nor  inexplicable,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  he  taught  those  who  were  hunger- 
ing for  Light  nothing  more  than  what  he 
actually  knew  as  real  Truth  and  what  may 
still  be  verified  by  similar  seekers.  No  longer 
should  his  authority  be  made  to  rest  only  on 
the  historical  and  literary  problems  relating 
to  the  authenticity  of  the  books  of  the  New 
Testament  and  the  dogmas  of  the  Church, 
for  then  Jesus  and  the  other  Sages  of  Judaea 
will  continue  till  the  end  of  time  to  be  im- 
peached. The  most  certain  proofs  of  their 
genuineness  are  to  be  found  in  the  experi- 
ences of  those  living  men  who  have  pro- 
gressed in  spirit  and  attained  the  same  state 
which  they  did.  It  is  only  they  who  can  ex- 
plain the  true  meaning  of  the  words  and  acts 
of  Jesus.  "God  has  made  us  able  ministers 
of  the  New  Testament."  said  Paul,  "not  of 


Unwritten  Tradition  8i 

the  letter  but  of  the  Spirit;  for  the  letter 
killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  Hfe"  (II  Cor. 
iii:  6).  Books  of  Spiritual  Knowledge  are 
not  to  be  interpreted  by  men  of  worldly  learn- 
ing but  by  men  who  by  sanctification  have 
attained  to  a  knowledge  of  God,  and  to 
whom  the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
have  been  laid  bare.  As  the  unwritten 
Traditional  Interpretation  of  the  words  of 
Jesus  have  been  lost  to  the  nations  of 
the  West,  the  only  way  of  restoring  the 
"Spirit"  or  the  true  meaning  of  the  words 
of  the  Bible  is  to  secure  their  interpretation 
by  "able  ministers"  from  the  East  who  are 
now  living,  and  on  whom  the  effulgence  of  His 
grace  has  been  shed. 

They  are  called  in  India  Jivanmuktas  (the 
Liberated  Ones)  or  Jndnis  (Knowers  of  God). 
They  are  the  "anointed"  of  God.  The 
Western  Nations  of  the  world  know  of  only 
one  Christ,  but  India  knows  of  scores  in  each 
generation,  busy  saving  seekers  from  the 
perils  of  atheism  and  materialism,  and  lead- 
ing them   to    God.      May    they    restore   to 


82  Sold  Culture 

Western  Nations  the  "Key  of  Knowledge" 
(Luke  xi:  52) — the  Key  called  Knowledge 
of  God  —  and  interpret  truly  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus,  and  the  earlier  Sages  of 
Judaea! 


CHAPTER  IV 

ON    THE    KEY    OF    KNOWLEDGE,  OR 
THE    FUNDAMENTAL    EXPERI- 
ENCES   OF    THE    SANCTI- 
FIED   IN    SPIRIT 


83 


The    sanctified   in    spirit    are    known   in    India    as 
Jndnis  or  Jivanmuktas. 
Their  nature  described. 
Ignorance  of  Europeans  in  India  of  the  Esoteric 

side  of  Spiritual  India. 
Difference  between  teachers  of  worldly  learning^ 

sectarian    teachers,    and    teachers    of   Truth 

Eternal  (or  Jndnis). 
Where  Jndnis  are  to  be  found  in  India,  and 

how  they  are  occupied. 
Their  works   called   the   Jndna   Sdstras    (or   Guide 
Books    to    Perfect    Light    and    Love)    intelligible 
only  to  the  spiritually-minded. 
Their  doctrines: 

Difference    between    worldly    experience    and 

spiritual  experience. 
The    range    of   the    knowable,    thinkable,    and 

sensible. 
God   is   knowable    directly   by   the    soul,    but 

not  thinkable  by  the  mind. 
He  is  vedyam  (Bhag.  Gita,  xi:  17),  but  avdn- 

manasa  gocarant. 
Soul  will  not  know  God  until  it  separates  itself 

from  its  impurities. 
Their  doctrine  of  renunciation. 
"Ascent"  of  soul  towards  God. 
Attainment  of  Godliness  (Brdhmi  sthitt) . 
"Rising"  of  soul  in  glory  of  the  sun. 
Isolation  of  Spirit  or  Aloneness  (Kaivalya). 
Atma  dar^ana  or  Siva  darsana,  corresponding 

to  appearance  of  Christ  and  knowledge  of 

God. 


84 


The  "melting  of  the  elements,"  or  realisation 
in  spiritual  commtmion  of  the  "burning  up" 
of  the  bonds  of  worldliness. 
The   "end  of  the  world." 

Cessation   of  the  recognition   of  differen- 
tiated existence. 
' '  Death ' '  of  the  worldly  spirit  and  "  birth ' ' 
of  the  Godly  spirit. 
Meaning    of    the    formula    "Know    the    soul 
through  the  soul." 
Knowledge  of  God  dependent  on  "separation"  or 
"freeing"    (in  spiritual  communion)   of  the  soul 
from  the  sensibilities  induced  by  the  excitations 
of  the  senses  and  mind. 
The  difficulties  of  Western  Psychologists. 
The  answer  of  the  Jndnis. 

Four  degrees  of  Sanctification,  or  death  unto 

the  world. 
The  position  of  Jesus  in  the  class  of  Brahma- 

vid. 
Inappropriate      translation     of     the     expres- 
sion  monogenes   huios    in    regard    to   Christ. 
It     means     alone -become     Son,     not    only- 
begotten. 
Jesus  and  St.   Paul    on  attainment  of  Christ- 
hood. 
The  practice  of  the  art  of  knowing  the  soul  by  the 
soul. 

Attainment  of  the  "fulness"  or  "freedom"  of 

the  soul. 
Unspeakable  repose  or  Peace  of  the  soul. 


85 


Reality  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

The  teachings  in  the  Vedas  and  Agamas. 

Veddnta    and     Saiva    Siddhdnta    expositions. 
Nattire  of  religions. 


86 


THE    KEY    OF    KNOWLEDGE 

OR 

THE  FUNDAMENTAL  EXPERIENCES 

OF   THE    SANCTIFIED    IN 

SPIRIT 

In  India  those  who  have  the  "Key" 
called  "Knowledge  of  God"  are  known  as 
Jndnis,  or  Knowers  of  the  Truth  or  Wisdom; 
and  the  Light,  Wisdom,  or  Knowledge  they 
possess  is  Jndnam.  They  are  also  called 
Jivanmnktas,  or  the  Freed  Ones,  freed  from 
bondage  to  folly  or  corruption  or  ignorance. 
Other  men  are  not  of  the  Truth.  Being 
attached  to  the  false  shows  and  pleasures  of 
the  world  they  are  a-Jndnis,  unwise  men, 
men  in  darkness,  whose  knowledge  is  fool- 
ishness {a-Jndnam),  because  it  makes  them 
to  think  that  the  Body  is  the  Self  or 
Ego  that  knows;  to  believe  that  the  only 
happiness  available  to  man  is  through  seeing, 
hearing,  smelling,  tasting,  and  touching,  or 
87 


88  Soul  Culture 

through  thinking  and  speaking  of  things 
past,  present,  or  yet  to  come;  to  mistake  the 
world  for  the  goal  to  which  it  is  the  ap- 
pointed way ;  and  to  rest  assured  that  nothing 
exists  beyond  the  plane  of  thought  and  the 
senses.  In  their  ignorance  they  esteem  as 
folly  the  long-suffering  humility  of  the 
Jndnis;  their  love  of  all  beings,  great  and 
small,  good  or  bad;  their  inability  to  hate, 
and  unwillingness  to  exact  satisfaction  for 
wrong  done;  their  sense  of  thankfulness 
under  all  conditions;  their  refusal  to  judge 
others;  their  want  of  concern  for  the  mor- 
row, and  their  disregard  for  things  deeply 
valued  by  the  multitude.  But  the  more  en- 
lightened of  the  a-Jndnis  of  India,  who  form 
a  small  fraction  of  the  two  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  Hindus  who  inhabit  the 
country,  feel  drawn  to  the  Jndnis,  and  it  is 
to  them  they  have  always  gone,  from  the 
remotest  times  to  the  present  day,  when 
craving  for  Light. 

Europeans    in    India   know   something   of 
the  exoteric  or  outer  side  of  spiritual  India, 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  89 

as  exemplified  in  the  symbolic  worship  car- 
ried on  in  the  temples,  but  almost  nothing 
of  its  esoteric  or  inner  side.  The  vast 
majority  of  the  natives  themselves  are 
ignorant  of  its  existence,  though  many  an 
exegesis  is  to  be  found,  especially  in  Sanskrit 
and  Tamil.  Such  works,  however,  are  diffi- 
cult to  understand;  and  devotees  who  have 
been  initiated  into  the  subjective  (esoteric) 
form  of  worship,  —  "worship  in  truth  and 
in  spirit"  —  are  unobtrusive  and  far  from 
communicative.  But  yet  earnest  seekers, 
who  fail  to  find  satisfaction  in  the  objective 
(exoteric)  method,  soon  discover  that  this 
system,  which  no  longer  appeals  to  them,  is 
really  intended  as  a  stepping-stone  to  the 
subjective  (esoteric),  and  that  the  key  of  the 
latter  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Jndna-guru  or 
Teacher  of  Godly  Wisdom,  otherwise  called 
Knowledge  of  God.  Tired  of  the  so-called 
enjoyments  of  the  world  and  thirsting  for 
the  sanctification  of  the  spirit,  they  go  in 
quest  of  him,  crying  to  him  now,  as  in  days 
of  yore,  "O  saint,  teach  thou,  for  thou  art 


90  Soul  Culture 

the  way,  and  there  is  no  other  for  us;"  "O 
saint,  thou  art  my  way,  thou  art  my  way" 
{Maitrdyana  Brahniana  Upanishad,  trans- 
lated by  Max  Miiller,  in  the  fifteenth  volume 
of  "The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,"  pp.  290, 
299).  Occasionally,  the  saint  comes  to  the 
very  door  of  the  seeker. 

Of  all  teachers,  the  Jndna-guru  is  acknow- 
ledged to  be  the  greatest.  Unlike  the  Vidyd- 
guru,  who  imparts  knowledge  on  any  given 
secular  subject;  unlike  the  Samaya-guru, 
who  imparts  knowledge  on  any  given  relig- 
ion, the  Jndna-guru  is  concerned  with  the 
very  foundation  of  knowledge,  with  Truth 
eternal,  unchangeable.  He  is  therefore  a 
teacher  of  teachers,  a  guru  in  the  real  sense 
of  the  term,  and  hence  called  a  Jagat-guru, 
or  Loka-guru,  a  Preceptor  or  Light  of  the 
world . 

He  is  found  mostly  in  secluded  places 
from  Cashmere  (Kashmir)  to  Cape  Comorin 
{Kumari)  living  in  the  utmost  simplicity. 
Some  are  so  dead  to  the  world  as  to  go  wholly 
unclad,  seeing  nothing  but  the  reign  of  God 


The  Key  oj  Knowledge  9 1 

everywhere.  To  them  (and  indeed  every 
other  Jiidni),  men,  women,  and  children  are 
all  alike  without  any  distinction  whatever 
of  sex,  age,  color,  creed,  or  race.  Some 
Jndnis  are  often  mighty  in  attainments 
(Siddhis),  but  power  by  itself  is  not  con- 
sidered their  distinguishing  characteristic. 
What  are  called  miracles  are  often  performed 
by  men  who  are  not  in  fellowship  with  God, 
and  who  therefore  misuse  the  powers  en- 
trusted to  them.  The  truth  is  that  God  is 
the  author  of  all  forms  of  power,  and  He  alone 
is  the  worker  of  all  miracles,  from  the  making 
of  a  mineral  cell  and  the  growing  of  a  blade 
of  grass  to  the  suspension  of  myriads  of 
stellar  systems  in  space.  Jesus  always  de- 
clared miracles  to  be  God's  works  and  not 
his  own,  and  he  condemned  the  display  of 
the  gifts  of  prophecy  and  miracle  on  the  part 
of  those  who  did  not  know  God  as  works  of 
iniquity  (Matt,  vii:  22).  Knowledge  of  God 
and  the  consequent  restfulness  of  spirit, 
called  the  Peace  that  transcends  all  thought, 
is  indeed  the  only  characteristic  of  Jndnis. 


92  Soul  Culture 

Many  of  them  are  well  known  and  much 
resorted  to  for  instruction  and  advice; 
others,  undiscovered,  perform  worldly  duties 
in  different  walks  of  life,  like  ordinary  folk; 
but  ripe  souls  are  drawn  to  them  and  learn 
of  them  in  secret  the  way  to  God.  These 
Jndnis  in  domestic  life  make  the  kindliest 
and  best  of  fathers,  husbands,  brothers,  and 
citizens,  though  never  so  entangled  in  those 
relations  as  to  forget  for  a  moment  the  grace 
of  God,  which  assigned  to  them  and  others 
their  respective  spheres  in  life  for  freedom. 

It  is  such  masters,  who  have  attained  ful- 
ness in  love  and  Godly  knowledge,  that 
demonstrate  to  seekers  in  India  that  God 
can  he  known  by  man,  while  on  earth  and  in 
the  body.  Sound  doctrine  is  necessary  to 
disestablish  the  mind  from  sensuous  objects 
and  establish  it  in  the  spirit,  and  then  many 
an  arduous  work,  having  in  view  the  develop- 
ment of  righteousness  and  perfect  love, 
should  be  undertaken.  For  mere  study  of 
the  principles  relating  to  God,  soul,  and  the 
world  will   not   and   cannot   secure   for  the 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  93 

student  actual  knowledge  of  God.  What 
he  reads  in  books  or  hears  from  living  lips 
is,  so  far  as  he  is  concerned,  only  hearsay 
knowledge.  What  is  needed  is  personal 
knowledge. 

According  to  the  Jndnis,  beings  and  states 
of  beings  complete  the  range  of  the  knowable. 
The  knower  of  all  these  is  the  soul.  It 
knows  some  of  them  through  the  senses,  and 
some  through  the  mind  which  draws  infer- 
ences; and  some  it  knows  directly  without 
the  aid  of  either  the  senses  or  the  mind. 
The  first  and  second  kinds  of  knowledge  are 
knowledge  of  objects  of  sense  and  of  mind, 
and  together  constitute  worldly  experience; 
but  the  third  kind  of  knowledge  is  know- 
ledge of  the  soul  or  spirit  and  God,  and  is 
spiritual  experience.  The  Jndnis  teach  that 
the  sensible  and  thinkable  things  are  all  of 
nature  (prakriti)  or  "flesh"  or  cosmic  stuff, 
but  that  God,  who  is  the  evolver  of  nature, 
mental  and  material,  is  not  graspable  by  the 
senses  or  mind,  but  knowable  only  by  the 
Soul,  which  is  itself  spirit,  like  God.     Their 


94  Soul  Culture 

expressive  saying  is,  God  is  vedyam  (Bhag. 
Gita,  xi;  17)  the  knowable,  but  avdnmanasa 
gocaram,  inexpressible  and  unthinkable. 
Just  as  the  milk  of  the  cow,  which  pervades 
her  lymphatic  system,  is  draw  able  only  at 
the  teat,  Jndnis  say  that  God,  who  is  Spirit, 
Love,  and  Light,  though  existent  everywhere, 
is  knowable  only  in  that  part  of  his  temple 
called  the  Spirit  or  Soul;  that  souls  in  bond- 
age to  Folly  or  Corruption  (Avidya)  are  like 
pure  water  mixed  with  ink,  unable  to  see 
itself  as  something  different  from  the  cor- 
ruption it  is  in;  that  the  Soul  is  the  being 
which  loves  and  knows;  and  Folly  the  false 
being  which  hates  and  works  lawless  deeds 
through  the  instruments  of  the  Soul,  namely, 
the  mind,  the  senses,  and  the  faculties  of 
speech  and  action;  and  that  if  measures  be 
taken  to  separate  the  Soul  from  Folly,  the 
Soul  will  first  know  itself  and  then  God  who 
is  in  it.  Knowledge  of  God  is  impossible 
till  the  Soul  renounces  all  its  impurities  and 
stands  in  the  likeness  or  "image"  of  God 
fit  for  fellowship  with  God.     The  Doctrine  of 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  95 

Renunciation,  and  the  practices  necessary 
for  forsaking  corruption,  form  the  sum  and 
substance  of  the  teaching  of  the  Jndnis. 
This  work  of  renunciation  of  impurity  on 
the  part  of  the  disciple  must  be  carried  on 
from  day  to  day,  it  may  be  for  years  together, 
before  God  manifests  Himself  to  the  seeking 
Soul. 

When  it  awakens  to  a  sense  of  its  bondage 
to  corruption  and  gradually  releases  itself 
from  its  carnal  attachments,  it  is  said  to 
"ascend"  towards  God,  who  is  in  the  soul. 
That  part  of  the  Vedas  which  is  called  Up- 
anishad  treats  of  this  "ascent"  or  "rise" 
from  corruption  to  in  corruption.  "He  who 
in  perfect  rest  rises  from  worldly  attach- 
ments and  attains  the  highest  light,  comes 
forth  in  his  oivn  proper  form.  This  is  the 
immortal  soul  "  (Maitr.  Brah.  Up.,  11-12). 
Numberless  are  the  books  written  by  Jndnis 
to  expound  this  doctrine  of  Godliness 
(Brdhmi  sthiti)  contained  in  the  Vedas  and 
Agamas.  The  oldest  of  these  books  are  in 
Sanskrit  and  Tamil.     Some  in   Sanskrit   are 


96  Soul  Culture 

known  to  Western  scholars,  but  not  any  in 
Tamil.  Their  works  in  Tamil  deserve  to  be 
studied,  especially  those  in  the  form  of 
hymns.  One  of  the  ancient  psalms  of 
Manikka-vasakar,  daily  chanted  by  hund- 
reds of  thousands  of  Tamils  in  South  India 
and  Ceylon,  is  as  follows:  — 

'"0  Siva,  abiding  in  the  limitless  region  of 
holiness,  who,  darkness  dispelled,  has  granted 
me  grace  this  day; 

To  abate  thoughts,  I  thought  of  Thy  way  of 
rising  from  the  bosom  of  the  soul  in  the  glory 
of  the  sun ; 

I  thought  of  the  non-existence  of  everything 
but  Thyself; 

I  thought  of  Thee  and  Thee  only,  —  having 
worn  off  thought,  atom  by  atom,  and  drawing 
closer  for  union  with  Thee  as  one; 

Nothing  art  Thou,  yet  nothing  is  without 
Thee. 

Who,  then,  can  think  of  Thee?" 
—  Tiruvasakam,  Koyit  Tiruppadikant,  7. 

God  as  Absolute  Being,  or  Being  Uncon- 
ditioned by  quality  or  quantity,  is  indeed  un- 
thinkable, nor  is  he  to  be  perceived  by  the 
senses,  as  Immaculate,  Infinite  Spirit,  but 
yet.  as  such,  he  is  knowable.     He  is  to  be 


The  Key  oj  Knowledge  97 

known  by  the  soul  only  when  the  mind  runs 
down  to  a  calm  and  lies  quite  still.  When 
in  spiritual  communion  thoughts  are  wholly 
abated  and  sleep  does  not  intervene,  the 
soul  stands  by  itself  like  a  steady  flame,  un- 
obscured  by  sleep  and  unagitated  by  thought. 
In  this  state  of  isolation  or  aloneness,  called 
kaivalya,  the  soul  knows  itself  and  God  who 
is  in  it.  The  gradual  elimination  of  thought 
"atom  by  atom,"  as  the  Master  quoted 
above  says,  draws  the  soul  out  from  the  dust 
heap  of  thought  and  enables  it  to  see  itself 
more  and  more,  till  at  length,  when  the  last 
trace  of  thought  is  "worn  off,"  the  soul 
appears,  as  declared  in  the  Maitrdyana 
Upanishad,  in  its  "own  proper  form"  as 
Unconditioned  Being,  in  unspeakable  re- 
pose. This  is  called  by  the  Agamic  Jndnis 
dtma-darsana,  or  knowledge  of  the  soul,  corre- 
sponding to  the  "manifestation"  or  "appear- 
ance" of  Christ  within  man  (John  xiv:  21; 
Matt,  xxiv:  30).  Then  is  realised  Siva-dar- 
sana,  or  knowledge  of  God,  who  manifests 
himself   only   within    the    Spirit    though   He 


98  Soul  Culture 

pervades  all  the  Universe.  This  is  "His 
way,"  His  usual  method,  of  manifesting 
Hirnself  to  those  men  who  worship  Him  spirit- 
ually, "in  truth  and  in  spirit,"  as  Jesus  said. 
The  Veddnta  Jnanis  speak  of  these  two  ex- 
periences as  Vikalpa  Saniddhi  and  Nir- 
vikalpa  Saniddhi. 

Just  as  the  soul  enshrined  in  the  body 
"rises"  from  the  body,  God  enshrined  in  the 
Soul  "rises"  from  the  Soul  and  manifests 
himself  to  the  Soul.  These  are  the  two 
fundamental  experiences  of  human  nature, 
the  one  leading  necessarily  to  the  other; 
and  this  is  the  goal  of  life  —  the  knowledge 
of  God.  After  attaining  it,  there  is  nothing 
more  to  attain  here  or  elsewhere.  Progress 
with  all  its  toils  ends.  The  long  sought  for 
Rest  has  come.  No  longer  do  pure  and  im- 
pure thoughts  strive  against  each  other  for 
mastery;  no  longer  do  kind  and  unkind 
words  flow  alternately  from  the  lips;  no 
longer  does  the  flesh  strive  against  the  Spirit, 
nor  tlie  Spirit  against  the  flesh.  Differentia- 
tion between  oneself  and  others  has  ceased. 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  99 

Peace  reigns.  In  the  consuming  fire  of  Truth 
{Jndndgni),  all  the  beggarly  elements  of 
egotism  and  desire  have  been  burnt,  and 
infinite  Bliss  (dnanda)  survives,  bearing 
witness  to  the  Godly  nature  of  man's  con- 
sciousness {dtmd). 


Thou  art  the  indestructible  Bliss,  which 
appears  the  instant  all  the  world  (Jagat)  of 
thought  and  the  senses,  like  nuggets  of  gold, 
is  dissolved  into  an  ocean  without  waves  or 
current. 

To  this  day  I  have  not   thus  realised  Thee! 

Can  I  attain  this  happiness  by  only  singing 
Thy  praises  in  verse? 

When,  O  Lord,  wilt  Thou  establish  me  in 
the  region  of  holiness  and  grant  me,  a  sinner, 
the  bliss  of  the  state  resulting  from  non-differ- 
entiation?—  Td.yumdnavar,  Panmdlai,  9. 


The  "dissolution"  of  the  "world"  (Jagat), 
which  occurs  to  each  man  as  soon  as  his 
mind  ceases  to  differentiate,  —  as  soon  as  all 
thoughts  have  run  down  to  a  perfect  calm, 
—  is  also  known  as  the  "death"  of  the  much 
mistaken  Jiva-ahankdra  (or  worldly  spirit) 
which    veils    the     true    Ego    (parama-ahan- 


lOO  Soul  Culture 

kdra),  which  alone  knows  itself  and  is  the 
basis  of  all  knowledge,  temporal  and  spir- 
itual. Another  great  Sage  of  South  India, 
who  lived  about  two  thousand  years  ago, 
and  whose  psalms  are  on  the  lips  of 
every  cultured  Tamil  of  the  present  day, 
well  said, 

I  became  like  the  dead: 
Of  all  thought  was  I  void: 
None  but  I  remained: 
I  knew  no  further  change. 

— Venkddar,  Arut-pulamhal,  49. 

The  Master  means  to  say  that  when  the 
jfiva-ahankdra  (or  worldly-minded  I)  dis- 
solved itself  by  non-differentiation,  the  par- 
mna-ahankdra  (or  Divine  I)  stood  forth 
unchangeable,  liberated  from  nescience  or 
worldliness,  and  hence  known  as  Jivan- 
mukta.     Another  Sage  sang  as  follows,  — 

My  heart  has  hardly  throbbed  for  thee; 
But  little  have  my  thoughts  dissolved; 
Divorced  I  am  not  from  the  body,  so  hard  to  sepa- 
rate. 
I  have  not  died:   I  am  still  in  a  whirl. 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  loi 

The  "I"  that  ought  to  die  is  the  earth- 
bound  or  worldly  I,  that  knows  not  its  true 
status  and  is  therefore  led  captive  by  worldly 
thoughts.  The  true  Ego  (or  AUnd)  can 
never  die.     It  is  eternal. 

The  death  of  the  worldly  or  sinning  I 
(Jiva-ahankdra)  is  the  "crucifixion"  of  the 
sinner,  — the  "old  Adam."  When  old  Adam 
is  crucified,  the  heaven-born  Adam,  the  Son 
of  God,  the  true  Ego  (parama-ahankdra) 
appears  (I  Cor.  xv:  45,  47). 

The  words  "world"  {Jagat)  and  "worldly 
I"  denote  differentiated  existence.  The  sum 
of  human  affairs  and  interests,  or,  in  a  re- 
stricted sense,  that  portion  of  them  which  is 
known  to  any  one,  is  popularly  understood 
to  be  the  "world,"  which  in  truth  consists 
of  names  and  forms  only;  and  the  worldly  I 
exists  only  when  one  is  conscious  of  differ- 
entiated names  and  forms,  that  is,  of 
thoughts.  The  "end  or  dissolution  of  the 
world"  {ndnia-mpa-ndsa)  is  thus  another 
expression  for  the  "death"  of  the  worldly  I. 
The    "world"    dissolving    or    ending    is   the 


I02  Soul  Culture 

same  as  the  worldly  I  "dying;  "  and  the 
"death"  of  the  "worldly  I "  is  the  same  as 
the  "end"  of  the  "world."  These  expres- 
sions denote  cessation  from  differentiation 
in  spiritual  communion.  When  sitting  for 
worship  one  is  alive  to  the  reports  of  the 
senses  or  is  thinking  of  the  things  of  flesh  or 
worldly  life,  he  is  in  the  state  of  differentia- 
tion, which  is  the  opposite  of  Unification,  or 
Peace,  or  Rest. 

The  "world,"  in  the  language  of  Sages, 
means  everything  except  pure  consciousness; 
means  not  only  the  material  universe,  but 
also  mind  and  its  products  called  thoughts, 
and  the  senses  and  objects  perceived  by 
them.  And  God,  as  Being  True  or  Un- 
changeable, and  the  Being  who  pervades 
this  everchanging  and  therefore  untrue 
"world,"  cannot  be  found  in  the  face  of  the 
world.  Since  He  is  its  substrate  He  will  not 
reveal  Himself,  in  His  own  true  character  as 
Absolute  Being,  if  looked  for  in  the  "world." 
Well  has  a  Master  sung,  — 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  103 

O  Thou  who  in  all  things  dost  vibrate! 

O  Thou  stainless  consumer  and  container  of  the 

World! 
O  Thou  king  of  the  celestial  hosts! 

0  Thou  the  only  one,  without  a  second! 

Though,  appealing  to  Thee  aloud,  I  have  sought  for 

Thee  throughout  the  world  (loka), 
Yet  I  have  not  found  Thee  there. 

—  Tiruvdsakam,  Arutpattu,  2. 

In  His  own  true  nature,  as  He  was  before 
the  beginning  of  the  "world,"  and  will  be 
after  its  end,  He  is  to  be  "seen"  (that  is, 
known)  only  where  the  "world"  is  not,  that 
is,  only  in  the  reign  of  pure  consciousness. 
Therefore  the  Master,  who  declared  that  God 
was  not  to  be  found  in  the  "world,"  pro- 
claimed also  that  he  found  Him  elsewhere,  in 
"resplendent  Tillai"  or  the  region  of  pure 
consciousness  or  dtmd: 

1  found  Thee,  immaculate  and  blissful,  in  resplen- 

dent Tillai, 
Having  overcome  the  darkness  of  desire. 
The  perception  of  forms,  and  the  thoughts  of  "I" 

and  " Mine;" 
I,  who  had  been   drawn  into  the  vortex  of  caste, 
family  and  birth,  who  was  worse  than  a  help- 
less dog;  — 


I04  Soul  Culture 

I  saw  Thee,  who  had  cut  away  my  bonds  of  misery 

and  held  me  to  Thy  service. 
—  ih.  Kandapattu,   5.      (The   ten    hymns   attesting 

knowledge.) 

This  immaculate  and  formless  being  of  the 
Deity  "seen"  beyond  the  veil  of  thought,  in 
the  region  of  pure  consciousness,  is  His  un- 
thinkable form,  nishkala  svarupa.  His  sa- 
kala  svarupa  or  thought-form,  assumed  for 
purposes  of  grace,  is  according  to  the  jorm  in 
which  He  has  been  thought  of  by  the  earnest 
devotee. 

The  separation  of  the  soul  from  thought 
and  sense  impression  is  known  in  spiritual 
communion  as  separation  from  the  body  or 
the  flesh,  as  attested  by  the  words  of  the 
great  Sendan^r: 

Meditating  on   the  peerless  ways  in  which  He  led 

me  captive, 
Having  separated  me  from  the  Body, 
Which  knows  not  what  it  is  to  be  established; 
Meditating  also  on  the  gracious  manner  in  which  He 

cherishes  the  faithful; 
Let  me  sing  in  praise  of  Him  only  who  took  me  unto 

Himself,  etc. 

—  Sendandr,  Tiru-palldndu,  3. 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  105 

Another  Master  sings,  — 

Hear,  O  Bird,  dwelling  in  groves  laden  with  luscious 

fruit! 
Raise  thy  notes  to  the  Giver  of  all  things, 
Who,   spurning  the   celestial   regions,   appeared  on 

earth  for  the  purpose  of  claiming  man  as  His 

subject. 
Pray  that  the  King  may  come,  who  spuming  the 

flesh  entered  my  soul,  made  it  like  Himself  and 

stood  forth  the  only  One. 

—  Tiruvasakam,  Kuyilpattu,  4. 

"The  flesh"  or  "body"  includes  not  only 
the  tangible  body  {sthida  sarira),  but  also  the 
subtle  body  (sukshma  sarira)  consisting  of 
those  invisible  instruments  of  knowledge 
and  action  which  are  found  to  function  in 
various  parts  of  the  tangible  body.  The 
complete  "  spuming  of  the  flesh,"  therefore, 
means  complete  isolation  from  the  flesh,  which 
state  is  also  spoken  of  as  being  wholly  "dead 
to  the  world"  (of  thought  and  the  senses). 
When  this  occurs,  the  soul  becomes  nish- 
kala,  immaculate  (unspotted  by  the  least 
rudiments  of  the  flesh),  godlike.  Drawing 
the    soul  from  the  mind-sheath    (kasha)   or 


io6  Soul  Culture 

womb  (garbha)  in  which  it  has  been  en- 
cased, God  "frees"  or  "separates"  it  from 
its  carnal  bonds  and  causes  it  to  be  "as  Him- 
self." Compare  the  words  of  St.  Paul, 
"When  it  pleased  God,  who  separated  me 
from  my  mother's  womb,  to  reveal  the  Son 
in  me,"  etc.,  Gal.  i:  15.  This  separation 
from  the  limitations  of  the  mind  is  essential 
to  the  spiritual  birth  of  the  Son  or  Soul 
(dtmd).  Then  only  does  He,  who  from  eter- 
nity lay  hidden  in  the  Soul,  become  mani- 
fest; and  manifested.  He  absorbs  the  soul 
by  His  sun -like  glory  and  remains  "the  Only 
One." 

All  the  doctrines  and  practices  which  are 
calculated  to  lead  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
soul,  and  through  that  knowledge  to  the 
knowledge  of  God,  are  locked  up  in  the  mystic 
formula  dtmdnam  dtmand  pasya  (know  the 
soul  through  the  soul),  which  in  the  language 
of  Jesus  is  represented  by  the  expression, 
"I  (the  Spirit)  bear  witness  of  myself  (the 
Spirit)"  (John  viii:  18). 

It  is  necessary  to  try  and  understand  in 


The  Key  oj  Knowledge  107 

modem  modes  of  thought  the  truths  that 
lie  embedded  in  these  most  holy  formulas. 
In  the   darkness  of  deep  sleep  Consciousness 
is   so   obscured  that   it   knows  notliing,   not 
even     its     own     existence.     When     it     first 
awakes  it  knows  nothing  in  particular    till 
a  vague  desire  to  know  arises  within  it,  and 
sets  the  mind  to  think,  or  the  senses  to  per- 
ceive, something.     Then  begins  a  knowledge 
of  some  definite  thing.     But  so  rapidly  do 
the  senses  strike  on  the  Consciousness,  and  so 
constantly   do   thoughts  present   themselves 
from  the  moment  it  wakes  to  the  moment  it 
falls   asleep,   that   Consciousness  is  "cheated 
with  the  blear  illusion"  that  it  is  identical 
with  the  body.     The  truth,  however,  as  ex- 
perienced by  Jndnis,  is  that  Consciousness 
(or  the  Knower,  or  the  Soul)  is  wholly  dis- 
tinct from  the  mind  (which  thinks)  and   the 
senses,  just   as  the  latter  are  distinct  from 
the  body.     "  Separate  from  the  mind  and  the 
senses,  yet  reflecting  the  qualities  of  all  of 
them,  the  dtmd  (soul)  is  the  Lord   and  Ruler 
of    all"    {Svctasvatara    Upanishad,    iii:     17). 


io8  Soul  Culture 

Consciousness  or  the  Soul  knows  the  senses 
and  the  mind,  but  they  are  not  subtle  enough 
to  know  the  Soul,  their  "Lord  and  Ruler." 
It  knows  itself.  Nothing  else  can  know  it. 
Hence  the  mandate,  "know  the  soul  through 
the  soul."  The  soul  is  a  witness  (saksJii) 
unto  itself.  The  mind  (including  the  reason) 
and  the  senses,  being  constructed  of  cosmic 
stuff  or  "flesh,"  cannot  know  the  soul! 

It  is  difficult  to  establish  these  truths  by 
reasoning,  for  the  basis  of  reasoning  is  com- 
parison of  one  thing  with  another  and  draw- 
ing inferences  therefrom,  and  there  is 
nothing  in  the  world  without  us  which  may 
be  compared  with  the  soul  within.  The  only 
proof  possible  in  these  circumstances  is  an 
appeal  to  the  spiritual  experience  or  actual 
knowledge  of  the  Spirit  of  the  class  of  people 
called  Jndnis.  Their  experience  declares  (i) 
that  the  body  is  the  tabernacle  of  the  Soul 
and  its  instruments;  (2)  that  the  mind  (or 
the  subtle  organs  of  thought)  and  the  senses 
are  the  instruments  of  the  Soul,  whereby 
the  Soul  is  brought    into  relation  with    the 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  109 

objective  world;  (3)   that  the  mind  is  not 
subtle  enough  to  know  the   Soul;  (4)   that 
the   Soul  may  be   freed   from   its   primeval 
taint  of  evil  or  worldliness;  (5)  that  when 
freed  from  evil  or  worldliness  the  soul  knows 
itself  as  naturally  as  the  bound  soul  knows 
the   mind   and   the   world  without;  and    (6) 
that  peace   (or  infinite  love,  irrespective  of 
objects  of  love)  and  knowledge  (or  power  of 
knowing,  irrespective  of  objects  of  knowledge) 
are  the  fundamental  features  of  the  freed  soul. 
How   few    among    us  recognise  even   the 
first  named  of  these  truths!    Metaphysicians 
of  repute  have  argued  that  the  mind,  so  far 
from  using  the  body   as  its  instrument,  is 
only  a  property,  power,  or  function  of  the 
body.     Professor  Bain,  desiring  to  follow  a 
middle  course,  defines  man  to  be   "an  ex- 
tended and  material  mass,  attached  to  which 
is  the  power  of  becoming  alive  to  feeling  and 
thought,  the  extreme  remove  from  all  that 
is  material"  (Mind  and  Body,  p.  137);  and 
observes  that  the  contention  that  the  mind 
uses  the  body   as  its  instrument   "assumes 


no  Soul  Culture 

for  mind  a  separate  existence,  a  power  of 
living  apart,  an  option  of  working  with  or 
without  a  body.  Actuated  by  the  desire  of 
making  itself  known,  and  of  playing  a  part 
in  the  sphere  of  matter,  the  mind  uses  its 
bodily  ally  to  gratify  this  desire;  but  if  it 
chose  to  be  self-contained,  to  live  satisfied 
with  its  own  contemplations,  like  the  gods 
as  conceived  by  Aristotle,  it  need  not  enter 
into  cooperation  with  any  physical  process, 
with  brain,  senses,  or  muscular  organs.  I 
will  not  reiterate  the  groundlessness  of  this 
supposition.  The  physical  alliance  is  the 
very  law  of  our  mental  being;  it  is  not  con- 
trived purely  for  the  purpose  of  making  our 
mental  states  known;  without  it  we  should 
not  have  mental  states  at  all"  (ib.,  p.  132). 
The  learned  Professor's  criticisms  abound 
with  difificulties  of  his  own  creation,  which 
however  do  not  affect  the  truths  of  spiritual 
experience.  By  the  light  of  this  experience, 
the  Soul  (or  the  I  that  knows)  is  found  to 
be  very  different  from  the  mind  whose  func- 
tion is  to  think.     It  will  be  readily  admitted 


1  tie  Key  of  Knowledge  1 1 1 

that  it  is  not  the  senses  (Jnanendriyas)  but 
the  internal  faculties  of  thought  (antah- 
karanas)  that  think.  The  Jndnis  declare 
that  the  invisible  organ  of  thought  and  the 
other  invisible  organs  of  breath,  nutrition, 
and  action,  which  in  co-relation  form  the 
subtle  body  {sukshma  sarira)  of  the  soul  and 
function  in  different  parts  of  the  tangible 
body,  are  in  the  nature  of  a  covering  or 
sheath  (kosha)  of  the  soul,  being  "bound" 
to  it  by  the  "  worldliness "  or  folly  inherent 
in  the  soul  {Jivdtma).  From  olden  times, 
they  say,  the  soul  {Jivdtma)  was  permeated 
with  this  feeling  of  want  and  craving  and 
lay  in  a  stifled  condition.  For  the  merciful 
purpose  of  liberating  the  soul  from  this  piti- 
fully obscured  condition,  God  evolved  the 
world  out  of  worldly  rudiments  and  en- 
dowed the  soul,  firstly,  with  the  "mind-and- 
breath  mechanism"  called  the  subtle  body, 
and  secondly,  with  the  tangible  body  as  the 
mud-home  of  the  subtle  body,  and  so  brought 
it  into  relation  with  the  outer  world.  The 
craving  or  greed  for  gratification  thus  became 


112  Soul  Culture 

(through  the  "subtle  body")  the  desires 
of  touch,  taste,  hearing,  sight,  and  smell, 
and  the  desires  of  the  intellect.  The  mind- 
and-breath  organism  has,  therefore,  been 
called  a  "lamp,"  or  instrument  of  illumina- 
tion to  the  obscured  soul.  "When  the  light 
of  true  knowledge,  let  into  the  soul  through 
the  channels  of  the  mind  and  the  senses, 
dispels  by  degrees  the  density  of  the  worldly 
taint  or  ignorance  inherent  in  the  soul,  the 
mind  and  the  senses  find  less  and  less  enjoy- 
ment in  the  field  of  carnality.  It  is  within 
our  every-day  experience  that,  with  the 
gradual  decline  of  desire  for  anything,  our 
thoughts  on  that  subject  become  fewer  and 
less  active,  and  it  is  only  natural  that  when 
all  desires  are  eschewed,  thoughts  should  run 
down  to  a  complete  calm.  This  truth  is 
expressed  in  the  formula  nirdsa  (or  non  de- 
sire) is  samddhi  (peace).  All  "enlightened" 
men,  that  is,  men  consciously  admitting 
light  and  thus  actively  wearing  off,  atom  by 
atom,  the  density  of  their  cravings,  are  on  the 
high  road   to  samddhi.       They   are   destined 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  113 

to  speedily  enter  the  spiritual  kingdom, 
the  holy  and  blissful  region  of  pure  conscious- 
ness. 

The  converse  proposition,  that  the  prac- 
tice of  the  art  of  pacifying  thoughts  leads  to 
attainment  of  '}nrdsd,  that  is,  einancipation 
from  desire,  is  found  to  be  equally  true. 
Without  tarrying  on  this  part  of  the  subject 
it  is  needful  only  to  say  that,  as  the  efface- 
ment  of  all  desire  causes  thought  to  disap- 
pear, leaving  the  soul  serene  and  limitlessly 
conscious,  Mr.  Bain's  question  whether  the 
mind  may  have  a  separate  existence,  and  in 
that  state  of  independence  possess  an  option 
of  working  with  or  without  the  body,  ad- 
mits of  a  ready  answer.  If  all  desires  have 
been  permanently  expunged  from  the  soul, 
the  mind  becomes  quite  inactive  and  has  no 
power  over  the  body. 

Such  a  contingency  occurs  only  in  the 
case  of  that  class  of  Jndnis  known  as  Brahma- 
varishta,  who  by  unceasing  spiritual  com- 
munion have  isolated  themselves  from  desire 
so     completely    that     it     never    rises     from 


114  Soul  Culture 

the  expanse  of  consciousness  in  any  form 
whatever.  The  only  indications  that  they 
are  not  dead  are  warmth  in  the  body  and 
growth  of  hair  and  nails,  if  clipped.  The 
senses  do  not  perceive,  the  mind  does  not 
think,  in  this  state.  Though  dead  in  the 
worldly  sense,  they  are  not  dead  spiritually. 
They  live  on  from  year  to  year  without  food 
or  drink. 

A  less  advanced  Jndni  is  the  Brahma  Var- 
iydn,  in  whom  desire  is  not  completely  anni- 
hilated. Therefore  he  is  able  to  rest  in 
Saniddhi  only  for  limited  periods,  emerging 
therefrom  for  a  short  while,  during  which 
devotees  revive  his  recollection  of  earthly 
affairs  and  pray  for  blessings.  Granting 
them,  he  again  relapses  into  the  peaceful 
state.  The  late  Rdja  R^jendral£la  Mitra, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  sons  of  India, 
said  that  in  1842  he  saw  a  Jndni  whom  some 
wood-choppers  had  brought  up  to  Calcutta 
from  the  forests  of  the  Sunderbunds.  The 
saint  was  found  sitting  cross-legged  under  a 
lofty   banian   tree,    amidst   a  wild   profusion 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  n  5 

of  heavy  roots,  which  in  course  of  growth 
had  entwined  themselves  round  his  limbs. 
The  "fools  and  blind"  cleared  the  wood  and 
carried  the  Sage,  dead  as  he  was  to  the 
world,  to  Calcutta,  where  he  was  taken  pos- 
session of  by  two  men  even  more  ignorant 
than  the  wood-choppers,  for  unable  to  rouse 
him  "by  shouting,  pushing,  and  beating, 
they  put  fire  into  his  hand  and  plunged  him 
into  deep  water  in  the  Ganges  with  a  rope 
about  his  neck,  as  though  he  were  a  ship's 
anchor,  and  twice  kept  him  there  all  night. 
They  pried  his  tetanus  jaws  apart,  put  beef 
into  his  mouth,  and  poured  brandy  down 
his  throat.  Finally,  to  prove  their  own 
shamelessness,  and  to  make  their  memory 
hateful  for  ever,  this  Hindu  Rajd  and  this 
Englishman  set  upon  the  poor  saint  an  aban- 
doned creature  of  the  other  sex  to  pollute 
him  with  her  unholy  touch!"  (Colonel  01- 
cott's  Lecture  at  the  Town  Hall  of  Calcutta 
in  1882  on  "Theosophy,  the  Scientific  Basis 
of  Religion.")  At  last  by  violent  methods 
they  awoke  him,  and  all   he  said  was,  — "O 


1 1 6  Soul  Culture 

Sirs,  why  did  you  disturb  me?  I  have  done 
you  no  harm."  Shortly  after,  he  attained 
Videha  Mukti  or  hberation  from  the  sthula 
and  sukshma  bodies. 

A  third  class  of  Jndnis  is  represented  by  the 
Brahma  Faraw,  who  suspends  mind  and  breath 
for  a  few  days  at  a  time,  returning  to  the  ways 
of  life  readily  at  the  close  of  the  Samadhi. 

By  far  the  largest  number  of  Jndnis,  how- 
ever, belong  to  the  class  of  the  Brahma  Vid, 
who  isolates  himself  only  for  a  few  hours 
each  day,  not  necessarily  every  day.  These 
are  the  saints  who  are  most  useful  to  the 
world,  because  all  their  thoughts  run  with 
amazing  fruitfulness  in  the  groove  of  paro- 
pakaram  or  service  to  others.  Jesus  is  a 
brilliant  example  of  this  type,  for  in  addi- 
tion to  knowledge  of  God,  he  possessed  sid- 
dhis  (or  spiritual  powers)  of  a  very  high 
order.  When  drawn  too  much  into  the 
vortex  of  worldly  life  he  sought  solitude  for 
the  purpose  of  reestablishing  himself  in  the 
fulness  of  peace.  "He  went  up  into  a 
mountain  apart  to  pray.  .  .  .     He  was  there 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  1 1 7 

alone  "  (Matt,  xiv:  23)  is  often  said  of  Jesus. 
He  is  also  said  to  have  been  fast  asleep  on 
board  a  ship  when  a  great  storm  was  blow- 
ing and  covering  the  craft  with  tremendous 
waves  (Matt,  viii:  24).  Even  a  drunken  man 
would  have  returned  to  his  sober  senses  in 
such  rolling  and  pitching,  creaking  and  roar- 
ing, "but  Jesus  was  asleep."  He  was  really 
in  Samddhi,  "dead  to  the  world"  of  thought 
and  the  senses.  His  disciples  were  able  to 
move  him  out  of  that  peaceful  state,  only  be- 
cause his  desires,  still  lurking  in  the  soul, 
stirred  and  set  the  mind-and-breath  mechan- 
ism in  motion,  as  demonstrated  in  the  case  of 
the  ill-treated  saint  of  the  Sunderbunds.  It  is 
a  truth  worth  realising  that  even  the  best  of 
desires  are,  in  comparison  to  Peace,  a  burden. 
The  blissfulness  of  Rest  is  infinitely  superior 
to  un-rest,  however  refined.  Rest  is  abso- 
lutely good,  and  all  forms  of  Un-rest,  from 
the  highest,  are  bad  in  relation  to  Rest. 
Therefore  did  Jesus  say  on  a  memorable 
occasion,  feeling  the  desecration  of  un-rest, 
"Why  callest  thou  me  good?     There  is  no 


1 1 8  Soul  Culture 

one  good  but  one,  that  is  God"  (Matt,  xix: 
1 6).  Therefore  also  do  men  who  have 
tasted  of  that  Rest  feel  ever  incHned  to  go 
back  to  it,  as  to  a  haven,  from  the  agita- 
tions of  thought,  the  troubles  and  turmoils 
of  life,  and  to  stand  alone  quite  isolated 
from  all  that  is  worldly. 

This  "alone  becoming"  of  the  soul,  known 
in  India  as  Kaivalya,  is  what  is  indicated  by 
the  Greek  phrase  moiiogeties  huios,  in  John 
i:  1 8,  rendered  inappropriately  in  Englisn 
as  "the  only -begotten  son."  How  can  Jesus 
Christ  be  considered  the  only  son  of  God, 
when  he  himself  taught  the  doctrine  that 
others  also  could  be  as  perfect  as  God  in  love 
(Matt,  v:  48),  and  as  gifted  as  himself  in 
miraculous  powers  (ib.  xvii:  20).  It  will  also 
be  borne  in  mind  that  St.  Paul  said  that  it 
was  possible  for  all  men  by  due  culture  to 
attain  the  fulness  of  Christ  (Eph.  iv:  13). 
Nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  Jesus  took 
pains  to  expose  the  popular  fallacy  that 
Christ  was  the  son  of  David  (Matt,  xxii:  42). 
"What  think  ye  of  Christ.''"    he  asked  of  the 


The  Key  of  Knoivledge  119 

Pharisees.  They  said,  "He  is  the  son  of 
David."  If  he  be  the  son  of  David,  said 
Jesus,  how  is  it  that  David  addresses  him  as 
Lord  in  Ps.  cxi?  Is  it  customary  for  a  father 
to  call  his  son  Lord  ?  They  answered  not  a 
word,  and  verse  46  records  "neither  durst  any 
man  from  that  day  forward  ask  him  any  more 
questions."  Jesus  meant  to  say  that,  though 
flesh  was  necessary  to  produce  flesh,  Christ 
was  not  flesh,  and  Christ,  being  pure  Spirit, 
did  not  need  a  fleshly  father  like  David  to 
beget  him.  He  expressly  said  that  Christ 
was  "before  Abraham"  (John  viii:  58), 
who  lived  many  centuries  before  David. 
Christ  is  the  Soul  that  has  been  freed  from 
its  bondage  to  worldliness,  and  blessed  with 
the  knowledge  of  God.  "Truth  (or  grace 
of  God)  shall  make  you  free,"  said  Jesus 
(John  viii:  32).  "Sanctify  them  through 
thy  Truth,"  he  cried  (John  xvii:  17),  even 
as  he  himself  was  sanctified  (John  x:  36). 
To  stand  alone,  quite  isolated  from  all  that 
is  worldly,  is  Sdnti  in  Sanskrit,  from  which 
Sanctification  comes. 


I20  Sold  Culture 

The  experiences  of  Jndnis  of  the  dififerent 
degrees  of  Rest  or  "death  unto  the  world," 
as  above  described,  ought  to  make  it  clear 
to  "learned  philosophers"  that  the  mind 
and  the  senses  are  but  instruments  of  the 
soul,  and  that,  if  desire  were  wholly  elimi- 
nated from  the  soul,  the  mind  and  the  sense 
organs  would  fall  prostrate  on  the  bosom 
of  the  soul,  even  as  a  spinning  top  falls  on 
the  ground  as  soon  as  its  force  is  exhausted. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  certain  facts  known 
in  Samddhi, 

When  the  mind,  ceasing  to  whirl,  falls  Hke  a  top 

which  has  spent  its  force,  — 
Just  then,  the  gloom  of  ignorance  dispelled. 
Did  I  know  myself,  independent,  like  unto  space, 

devoid  of  light  and  shade  ? 
Did  I  then,  joining  myself  with  the  Infinite  Peace 

which  lies  within  me,  pass  into  the  transcend- 

ingly  blissful  state? 

—  Tdyumanavar,  Tejomaydnandam,  4. 

A  few  more  words  may  be  added  in  ex- 
planation of  dtmdnam  dtmand  pa'sya.  We 
know,  as  a  fact,  that  we  see,  hear,  touch, 
taste,  and  smell;  and  we  know  also  that  we 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  1 2 1 

think.  The  expressions,  "I  know  that  I 
feel,"  "I  know  that  I  desire,"  "I  know  that 
I  think,"  mean  only  that  one  is  conscious  of 
those  states  of  being, — namely,  the  states 
of  feeling,  of  desiring,  of  thinking.  Con- 
sciousness, therefore,  is  the  Be-ing  which 
knoivs,  and  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  states  or  sensibilities  induced  in  con- 
sciousness through  the  excitation  of  the 
senses  and  thoughts.  When  such  sensi- 
bilities are  discarded  what  remains  is  con- 
sciousness pure,  which  soon  overflows  in  all 
directions,  boundlessly,  like  the  rays  of  the 
sun  through  space.  This  experience  is  known 
as  dUnd  piirana,  meaning  literally,  in  the 
words  of  St.  Paul,  the  fulness  of  the  spirit. 
This  is  the  liberated  soul  (dtmd  in  moksha), 
the  Be-ing,  the  "I  am,"  which  partakes  of 
the  "glory  "  of  God :  known  as  Sa'cciddnanda, 
that  is,  sat,  eternal  unchangeable  existence; 
tit,  pure  consciousness,  infinitely  expanded; 
dnanda,  bliss  or  absolute  peace.  In  plain 
words,  when  consciousness  is  purified  to  the 
requisite  degree,  it  is  found  as  a  matter  of 


122  Soul  Culture 

fact  (i)  to  survive  all  phenomena  and  re- 
main unchangeable;  (2)  to  possess  the  know- 
ledge that  is  not  limited  by  time  or  place; 
and  (3)  to  overflow  with  an  unspeakable 
repose  and  love  for  all  living  beings,  the  like 
of  which  is  unknown  in  any  other  state. 

European  science  admits  the  world  of  the 
senses  (the  "sensible"  world,  as  it  is  called), 
and  the  world  of  thought  (the  "extra-sensi- 
ble" world),  and  is  quite  familiar  with  their 
laws  and  conditions;  but  it  refuses  to  ac- 
knowledge the  world  —  I  would  rather  say, 
the  region  —  of  pure  consciousness  (the 
"supra-sensible"  world).  "We  cannot  say," 
wrote  the  late  Mr.  G.  H.  Lewes,  "that  a 
supra-sensible  world  is  impossible;  we  can 
only  say  that,  if  it  exists,  it  is  to  us  inaccessi- 
ble" {Problems  of  Life  and  Mind,  Vol.  I,  p. 
270).  And  Professor  Bain  declares  that  in 
the  senses  and  thoughts  "we  have  an  alpha- 
bet of  the  knowable,  .  .  .  but  we  cannot 
by  any  effort  pass  out  of  the  compass  of  the 
primitive  sensibilities"  (Sec.  19  of  the 
chapter  on  the  Physiological  Data  of  Logic). 


The  Key  ol  Knowledge  laj 

The  denial  of  the  region  of  pure  conscious- 
ness (the  Jndna  Bhiimi),  because  of  its 
fancied  inaccessibiHty  to  experience,  is  a 
notoriously  false  argument,  Mr.  Lewes  himself 
having  pointed  out  elsewhere  that,  "before 
a  fact  could  be  discredited  by  its  variance 
from  one's  notion,  the  absolute  accuracy  of 
the  notion  itself  needed  demonstration" 
{Problems,  etc.,  i:  353). 

No  further  emphasis  is  now  required  to 
bring  home  the  fact  that  the  existence  of  the 
region  of  pure  consciousness  is  not  a  matter 
of  theory  or  speculation.  This  state  of  "god- 
liness" is  indeed  a  "mystery"  (as  attested 
by  St.  Paul  in  I  Tim.  iii:  16),  in  the  sense  of 
being  beyond  human  comprehension  until  it 
is  explained  and  realised.  It  is  within  the 
actual  experience  {Svdnuhhava)  of  Jndnis, 
and  is  known  to  them  as  Brdkmi  sthiti,  or 
Siva-loka,  or  chitambara,  or  chitdkdsa,  the 
blessed  state,  the  spiritual  kingdom,  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  the  reign  of  infinite  con- 
sciousness or  light.  It  is  the  most  real  of  all 
regions,  because  when  it  is  reached  it  is  found 


124  Soul  Culture 

to  be  further  irresolvable,  hence  unchange- 
able, that  is,  everlasting.  It  is,  moreover, 
strictly  verifiable  in  experience,  that  is,  at- 
tainable by  others,  provided  that,  by  native 
disposition  and  previous  culture,  one  is  sympa- 
thetic enough  to  persevere  in  all  earnestness 
and  faith  in  the  way  marked  by  the  Master. 

When  this  state  is  attained,  then  will  be 
realised  in  actual  experience  the  truth  that 
God  is  in  the  soul.  Upon  this  spiritual  ex- 
perience is  founded  the  doctrine  of  "God 
in  me,  and  I  in  God." 

Both  the  Vedas  and  Agamas  teach  this 
doctrine  in  those  parts  of  them  which  are 
called  Jndna  Khdnda  (the  section  that  re- 
lates to  spiritual  enlightenment). 

The  Agamas  are  a  graduated  elaboration 
of  the  four  Vedas,  and  are  known  as  the  fifth 
Veda.  The  final  or  eternal  truths  relating  to 
God,  having  been  revealed  to  the  Jndnis,  the 
way  of  attaining  God  has  been  worked  out 
in  the  Agamas  under  four  principal  stages 
known  as  ckarya  (gOod  conduct),  kriyd 
(symboHcal  worship),  yoga  (subjective  union 


The  Key  of  Knowledge  125 

through  sense  control,  breath  control,  and 
thought  control),  and  jndna  (hearing  and 
understanding  the  principles  of  eternal  life). 
The  charya  stage  is  called  san-nidrga,  or 
the  good  way  of  lawful  or  ethical  conduct,  in 
which  God  is  distantly  or  vaguely  conceived; 
the  kriyd  stage  is  ddsa  mdrga,  or  the  way 
of  the  servant,  in  which  God  is  conceived  as 
1  Master  or  King;  the  yoga  stage  is  putra 
mdrga,  or  the  way  of  the  son,  in  which  God 
is  viewed  as  Father;  and  the  jndna  stage  is 
saha  mdrga,  or  the  way  of  the  friend  and  equal, 
in  which  Soul  is  considered  to  be  striving  for 
fellowship  with  God. 

The  final  or  eternal  truths  are  known  in 
the  Vedas  as  Veddnia  and  in  the  Agamas  as 
Saiva  Siddhdnta,  and  the  entire  graduated 
way  is  known  as  soupana  mdrga  (ladder  way, 
or  path  of  ascent). 

Agreeably  to  the  needs  and  capacities  of 
each  people,  have  Religions  or  Bonds  of 
Spiritual  Thought  been  given  them,  marked 
by  some  one  or  more  of  the  features  of  the 
stages  above  named.     Some  religions  do  not 


126  Soul  Culture 

carry  their  votaries  beyond  the  stage  of 
ethical  conduct;  others  not  beyond  ritual 
worship;  very  few  teach  subjective  union; 
and  only  one  at  the  present  day  is  able  to 
impart  a  full  knowledge  of  those  principles 
and  practices  which  result  in  the  actual  at- 
tainment of  God.  As  spiritual  thought  gets 
mixed  with  error  in  the  progress  of  years, 
owing  to  the  imperfections  of  the  minds  of 
those  who  receive  and  give  out  such  thought, 
religions  become  materialised  and  intolerant  of 
each  other.  Hence  come  diversities  and  con- 
flicts. Such  religions  perish  with  the  people 
who  have  perverted  the  original  germs  of  truth. 
It  matters  not  in  what  land  or  sphere  of 
society  a  man  is  born  if  in  humble  spirit  he 
acts  up  to  the  faith  he  was  bom  in.  In  due 
time  he  will  be  moved  to  a  higher  form  of 
faith,  and  so  onward  from  one  life  to  another, 
till  all  his  thoughts  get  centred  in  God.  Life 
and  death  are  like  waking  and  sleeping.  As 
the  same  being  that  is  awake  sleeps  and  wakes 
again,  so  he  that  lives  dies,  to  live  again  on 
earth  till  full  knowledge  of  God  is  attained. 


CHAPTER  V 

ON    THE    LAW   AND    THE    PROPHETS 
OF  ANCIENT  JUD^A 


127 


The  relation  of  the  Judaic  Way  to  the  teachings 
of  the  Jndnis  of  India,  and  of    Jesus  and  his 
Apostles. 
Manifestation  of  God  to  Abraham. 
The  gift  of  the  Law  to  Moses. 
Path  of  righteousness. 
The  reward  of  obedience. 
Punishment  for  wandering  from  the  law. 
Offerings  for  forgiveness. 
Sanctification  by  atonement. 
The  times  of  the  Judges  (B.C.  1400-1200). 

Decline  of  the  Priesthood. 
Samuel's  School  of  the  Prophets. 

The  spiritual  doctrine  of  the  prophets. 
The  Sadducees  and  Pharisees. 
Their  beliefs. 

Writings  of  Philo  and  Josephus. 
Doctrine  of  Transmigration  of  Souls. 
Popular  belief  as  to  General  Resurrection  of 
the  Dead. 

Ignorance  of  the  Jewish  Priesthood. 
Captivity  of  the  people  in  Chaldaea. 
Prophet  Ezekiel  in  Babylon  (587  B.C.), 
Purport  of  his  Vision  of  the  Dry  Bones. 
Necessity  of  separating  the  belief  of  the 
multitude  from  the  teaching  of  Ezekiel 
and  Daniel. 
Popular  belief  as  to  the  Coming  of  the  Messiah. 
Fusion  of  the  two  popular  beliefs. 
The  Essenes. 

Their  beliefs,  according  to  Philo  and  Josephus. 
Jesus  supposed  by  some  to  be  an  Essene. 


128 


The  three  orders  of  Judaism  represent  each  a  stage 
in  the  Way  to  the  Goal,  which  is  God 

The    Sadducees    and    Pharisees    espoused    the 
shell  or  exoteric  phase  of  Judaism,  and  the 
Essenes  its  inner  kernel. 
The  expression  "The  Law  and  the  Prophets"  in- 
tended to  denote  this  distinction  between  outer 
and  inner  worship. 


129 


THE  LAW  AND  THE  PROPHETS  OF 
ANCIENT  JUDAEA 

Let  us  now  consider  the  Judaic  Way,  so 
as  to  see  what  relation  its  teachings  bear  on 
the  one  hand  to  those  of  the  Jiidnis  of  India, 
and  on  the  other  to  those  of  Jesus,  Paul,  and 
other  Christian  Saints. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  early  ancestors 
of  the  Jews  were  dwelling  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Euphrates  and  were  serving  in- 
ferior gods,  the  all-powerful  God  called  on 
Abraham  to  leave  the  land  of  his  fathers  and 
proceed  to  Canaan,  saying,  "I  will  make  thee 
a  great  nation,  and  I  will  bless  thee  and 
make  thy  name  great,  and  thou  shalt  be  a 
blessing"  (Gen.  xii:  2,  3).  Known  in  later 
times  as  the  "God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob"  (Exod.  iii:  6) 
—  the  god  whom  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob 
worshipped  with  full  acceptance  —  He  re- 
vealed Himself  to  their  descendant  Moses 
131 


132  Soul  Culture 

on  Mount  Horeb,  as  Ydveh  (Jehovah,  the 
self-existent).  Ehyeh  ashar  Ehyeh  (I  am 
what  I  am)  was  the  name  which  He  vouch- 
safed of  Himself  to  Moses  (ib.  iii:  14) — the 
Aham  of  the  Jndnis,  a  name  for  Pure  Spirit. 
He  also  declared,  "I  appeared  unto  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob  by  the  name  of  El 
Shadai  (the  all-powerful,  corresponding  to 
Isvara),  but  by  my  name  I.  H.  V.  H. 
(Jehovah,  self -existent,  corresponding  to 
Svayambhur  of  the  Jndnis)  was  I  not  known 
to  them.  And  I  have  also  established  my 
Covenant  with  them  to  give  them  the  land 
of  Canaan  (Region  of  Peace),  the  land  of 
their  pilgrimage  wherein  they  were  strangers  " 
(Exod.  vi:  3-4). 

The  manifestation  to  Moses  at  Mount 
Horeb  was  followed  by  the  grant  of  the  Law 
at  Mount  Sinai  for  the  instruction  of  his 
people.  Jehovah  said  unto  Moses,  "Come 
up  to  me  unto  the  Mount  and  be  there,  and 
I  will  give  thee  Tables  of  stone  and  the  Law 
(thorah),  even  the  Commandments"  (Exod. 
xxiv:  12)  or  the  Word  of  God  (I  John,  ii:  7), 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         133 

and  He  gave  unto  him  "two  tables  of  testi- 
mony, tables  of  stone,  written  with  the  finger 
of  God"  (Exod.  xxxi:  18),  in  order  that  by- 
observance  of  the  Law  they  might  progress 
in  the  pilgrimage  to  Peace,  otherwise  called 
Canaan. 

According  to  the  Law  thus  delivered, 
Wickedness  or  Sin  consisted  of  wandering 
from  the  Law  to  the  right  or  to  the  left 
(Josh,  i:  7) — going  off  from  the  path  of 
Righteousness  —  and  was  punishable  with 
divers  forms  of  sorrow,  including  disease  and 
death  (Levit.  xxvi:  14-41,  Exod.  xxxii: 
33).  Obedience  to  the  Law,  or  Uprightness 
of  Spirit,  was  rewarded  with  joys,  such  as, 
abundant  harvest,  deliverance  from  misfor- 
tune, and  conquest  of  enemies  (Lev.  xxvi: 
3-12). 

Offerings  to  God  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing His  forgiveness  formed  a  most  important 
part  of  the  Tradition  of  Moses.  As  sins  are 
committed  in  ignorance  or  forgetfulness  of 
the  existence  and  power  of  God ,  an  offering  at 
His  temple  would  indicate  an  acknowledgment 


i'34  Soul  Culture 

of  Him,  a  desire  to  avoid  punishment  here- 
after. It  was  therefore  enjoined  on  Jews 
that  there  should  be  a  "sin-offering"  in  ex- 
piation of  the  sin  and  preparatory  to  access 
to  God;  then  a  "  burnt -offering "  as  sym- 
bohcal  of  the  offending  mind  and  body  burnt 
and  surrendered  to  God;  and  lastly  a  "meat- 
offering" by  way  of  thanksgiving.  The 
offerer  brought  the  sin-offering,  a  young 
bullock,  to  the  door  of  the  tabernacle,  laid 
his  hand  upon  the  head  of  the  animal,  in 
token  of  the  victim  standing  for  him  and 
bearing  the  burden  of  his  guilt,  and  killed 
it  before  the  Lord.  Thereupon  the  priest 
dipped  a  finger  in  the  blood  of  the  victim 
and  sprinkled  it  seven  times  before  the  veil 
of  the  sanctuary, — the  "holy  place  within 
the  veil,"  where  the  seat  of  mercy  was  (Levit. 
xvi :  2)  —  putting  some  of  the  blood  upon  the 
horns  of  the  altar  of  sweet  incense,  and  throw- 
ing the  rest  at  the  bottom  of  the  altar  of 
the  burnt-offering.  The  fat  of  the  animal 
was  also  collected  from  certain  parts  of  the 
body    and     burnt     upon     the     altar.      The 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         135 

"burnt -off ering,"  which  might  be  the  male  of 
the  herd,  or  of  the  flock,  or  of  the  fowls,  was 
similarly  dealt  with,  but  the  priest  burnt 
the  whole  of  the  victim  on  the  altar,  and 
being  an  offering  made  by  fire,  it  was  "of 
a  sweet  savour  unto  the  Lord."  The  priest 
was  then  commanded  to  "make  an  atone- 
ment'' for  him  as  regards  his  sin,  and  said  the 
Lord,  "it  shall  be  forgiven"  (Lev.  iv:  26). 
"Ye  shall  keep  my  statutes  (laws)  and  do 
them,"  that  is.  Ye  shall  bear  in  mind  my 
words,  and  act  according  to  them,  for  "I  am 
the  Lord  which  sanctify  you"  (Lev.  xx:  8), 
meaning,  none  of  the  inferior  gods  hitherto 
worshipped  have  the  power  of  healing  you  of 
corruption;  only  I  can.  Therefore,  "Sanc- 
tify yourselves,  and  be  ye  holy"  (Lev.  xx:  7). 
During  the  time  of  the  Judges  (B.C. 
1 400- 1 200),  the  priesthood  had  sunk  into 
ignorance  and  corruption,  and  the  people, 
becoming  themselves  too  worldly  and  having 
no  means  of  learning  the  spirit  or  inner 
meaning  of  the  Mosaic  creed,  came  to  think  of 
ceremonial  observances  as  ends  per  se,  or  as 


136  Soul  Culture 

convenient    forms    of    justifying    themselves 
only  before  the  world. 

In  this  state  of  vain  formalism  Samuel 
(B.C.  1 1 50),  who  had  been  dedicated  to  God 
from  infancy  in  the  tabernacle  of  Shiloh, 
grew  to  be  a  man  of  deep  spiritual  insight,  so 
that  his  fame  as  a  ndbi  or  Knower  of  God 
spread  in  the  country,  and  made  Shiloh  the 
resort  of  those  who  came  to  consult  him. 
From  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  the  position 
he  occupied  as  Judge,  he  commanded  uni- 
versal reverence.  "Behold!"  he  declared, 
"to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice  and  to 
hearken  better  than  rams"  (I  Sam.  xv:  22), 
that  is,  heartfelt  obedience  to  whatever  has 
been  enjoined  by  the  Law  is  better  than 
merely  carrying  offerings  to  the  Temple; 
and  hearing  expositions  of  the  Spirit  of  the 
Law  is  better  than  making  sacrifices  at  the 
altar.  To  enlighten  his  countrymen  and  wean 
them  from  their  worldly  ways  he  founded 
several  schools  of  spiritual  instruction, 
called  "The  Companies  of  Prophets" 
(I  Sam.  xix:   20),  in  which  the   Law  and  its 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         137 

proper  interpretation  were  carefully  studied, 
as  also  sacred  poetry,  music,  and  sacred 
dance.  Oral,  as  distinct  from  symbolical, 
teaching  was  henceforth  transferred  from 
the  priestly  to  the  prophetic  order.  The 
students  who  graduated  in  these  colleges 
disseminated  the  knowledge  they  possessed 
according  to  their  opportunities;  but  actual 
prophets  —  that  is,  those  who  had  the  gift 
of  prophecy  —  held  religious  seances  weekly 
or  monthly  (as  may  be  gathered  from 
Elisha's  life),  for  the  building  of  the  faith  of 
the  people.  They  not  only  preached  morals 
and  religion  but  also  sang  and  discoursed  on 
history  and  patriotism.  After  the  establish- 
ment of  these  colleges,  prophet  after  prophet 
arose,  proclaiming  the  inutility  of  sacrifices 
when  divorced  from  inner  faith. 

"Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye  children 
of  Israel,"  said  Hosea  (B.C.  780),  "for  the 
Lord  hath  a  controversy  with  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  land,  because  there  is  no  truth,  no 

mercy,  nor  knowledge  of  God  in  the  land 

As    they    were    increased,    so    they    sinned 


138  Soul  Culture 

against  me  (iv:  1—7)  ....  They  sacrifice 
upon  the  tops  of  the  mountains  and  burn  in- 
cense upon  the  hills,  under  oaks  and  poplars 
and  elms  (iv:  13).  /  desired  mercy  and  not 
sacrifice,  and  the  knowledge  of  God  more 
than  burnt  offerings"  (vi:  6). 

"Wherewith,"  said  Micah  (B.C.  710)  "shall 
I  come  before  the  Lord  and  bow  myself  be- 
fore the  high  God?  Shall  I  come  before  Him 
with  burnt  offerings,  with  calves  of  a  year 
old?  Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with  thou- 
sands of  rams,  or  with  ten  thousands  of  rivers 
of  oil?  Shall  I  give  my  first-bom  for  my 
transgression,  the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the 
sin  of  my  soul?  He  hath  shewed  thee,  O 
man,  what  is  good,  and  what  doth  the  Lord 
require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love 
mercy  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God" 
(vi:  6-8). 

"To  what  purpose  is  tire  multitude  of 
your  sacrifices  unto  me,  saith  the  Lord,"  said 
Isaiah  (B.C.  750).  "I  am  full  of  the  burnt- 
offerings  of  rams  and  the  fat  of  fed  beasts, 
and  I  delight  not  in  the  blood  of  the  bullocks; 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         139 

or  of  the  lambs  or  of  the  goats.  .  .  .  Bring 
no  more  vain  oblations.  Incense  is  an  abom- 
ination unto  me;  the  new  moons  and  sab- 
baths, the  calling  of  assemblies  .  .  .  and 
even  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth  .  .  . 
I  am  weary  to  hear  them"  (i:  11-14). 

"Behold!  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord," 
said  Jeremiah  (B.C.  606),  "that  I  will  make  a 
new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel;  .  .  . 
I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and 
write  it  in  their  hearts." 

Ezekiel  said  (B.C.  580)  "saith  the  Lord 
God,  repent  and  turn  yourselves  from  your 
transgressions  ....  make  you  a  new  heart 
and  new  spirit  (xviii:  30,  31). 

It  is  said  that,  after  the  return  of  the  Jews 
to  Jerusalem  from  Babylon,  they  gradually 
became  divided  into  parties  or  schools,  the 
chief  of  whom  were  known  as  the  Sadducees 
and  the  Pharisees. 

The  Sadducees  (TsedHkim  the  righteous) 
were  strict  followers  of  the  written  laws  of 
Moses  and  were  drawn  from  the  more  opulent 
and   distinguished  ranks  of  Jewish  society. 


140  Soul   Culture 

In  the  supposed  absence  of  a  single  text  in 
the  whole  of  the  Pentateuch  referring  to  re- 
wards and  punishments  in  a  future  life,  they 
did  not  believe  in  such  a  doctrine  or  in  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  They  believed 
that  the  pains  and  pleasures  experienced  in 
the  world  were  meted  out  by  Jehovah  ac- 
cording to  each  man's  works.  They  there- 
fore endeavoured  to  observe  the  written  law 
of  Moses  in  all  its  severity,  without  taking 
advantage  of  the  mitigations  introduced 
under  the  sanction  of  the  traditions  of  the 
Elders  and  maintained  by  the  Pharisees. 
The  Sadducees  believed  that  Jehovah  was 
in  "the  heaven  of  heavens"  (Deut.  x:  14), 
served  by  a  few  angels  (Gen.  xix:  i),  and 
attended  by  myriads  of  saints  (Deut.  xxxiii: 
2),  and  that  His  anger  would  "burn  into 
the  lowest  sheol"  (ib.  xxxii;  22)  or  pit. 
The  Sadducees  were  part  of  the  aristoc- 
racy of  the  land  and  were  interested  in 
politics. 

The  Pharisees,  whose  name  meant  "Sepa- 
ratists'   (Periishim),  were  the  party  who  are 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         141 

said  to  have  come  into  existence  sometime 
after  the  conquest  of  Palestine  by  Alexander 
the  Great,  in  order  to  stem  the  current  of 
Hellenic  modes  of  thought  and  life  which 
had  by  degrees  flowed  into  the  country  since 
then.  Their  policy  was  to  conserve  the 
national  element  not  only  in  politics  but 
also  in  religion,  and  they  were  therefore 
exceedingly  popular.  By  their  austerity  they 
drew  into  their  party  the  body  of  the  Jewish 
people.  They  believed  that  Moses  received 
an  oral  law  to  complete  and  interpret  the 
written  law  contained  in  the  Pentateuch; 
that  he  delivered  the  oral  law  to  Joshua, 
that  Joshua  delivered  it  to  the  Elders,  that 
the  Elders  delivered  it  to  the  Prophets,  and 
the  Prophets  to  the  men  of  the  great  Syna- 
gogue; that  the  object  for  which  the  written 
law  was  delivered  was  attainable  all  the  more 
easily  by  interpreting  it  by  the  light  of  the 
teaching  of  the  Synagogue;  that  though  the 
general  course  of  matters  was  pre-ordained, 
yet  man  was  a  free  agent  in  many  respects, 
and  that  external  purity  and  ceremonial  law 


142  Soul  Culture 

were  essential  to  salvation.  They  therefore 
regulated  their  conduct  in  life  by  a  network 
of  intricate  rules  as  to  what  was  clean  and 
unclean,  proper  and  improper,  necessary 
and  unnecessary,  with  the  result  that  the 
majority  of  the  Pharisees,  who  lost  sight  of 
the  end  and  aim  of  all  this  formalism,  became 
noted  for  their  bigotry,  hypocrisy,  and  pride. 

As  regards  their  notions  of  the  soul  and  a 
future  life  Josephus,  the  Pharisee  and  his- 
torian of  the  Jews,  who  flourished  in  the  first 
century  of  Christ,  records  that  the  sect  to 
which  he  belonged  believed  that  every  soul 
was  imperishable,  and  that,  while  the  souls  of 
good  men  passed  over  or  migrated  into  other 
bodies,  those  of  bad  men  suffered  eternal 
punishment.  Philo,  the  Jewish  philosopher, 
who  was  a  contemporary  of  Jesus,  goes 
further  and  declares  that  all,  but  those  who 
have  known  God,  must  pass  into  another 
body. 

The  fact  of  the  prevalence  of  a  belief  on 
the  part  of  the  Jews  in  the  transmigration 
of  souls,  or  as  they  called  it  "the  rising  from 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         143 

the  dead,"  is  supported  by  the  Scriptures, 
for  when  Herod  heard  of  the  fame  of  Jesus 
he  said  unto  his  servants,  "this  is  John  the 
Baptist;  he  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and  there- 
fore mighty  works  do  show  forth  themselves 
in  him"  (Matt,  xiv:  2);  and  we  learn  that  this 
was  not  only  his  own  idea,  being  a  Jew,  but 
the  common  talk  in  Jewry,  some  saying  that 
John  was  risen  from  the  dead,  others  Elias, 
and  others  still  one  of  the  old  prophets 
(Luke  ix:  7,  8).  Furthermore,  Jesus  him- 
self said  of  John  the  Baptist,  "this  is  EHas 
which  was  for  to  come"  (Matt,  xi:  14);  "I 
say  unto  you  that  Elias  is  come  already,  and 
they  knew  him  not,  but  have  done  unto  him 
whatsoever  they  Hsted"  (referring  to  John's 
imprisonment  and  execution.  Matt,  xvii:  12; 
cj.  also  John  i:  21).  As  the  spirit  of  EHas 
did  not  come  straight  from  heaven  clad  in 
flesh  as  John  the  Baptist,  but  entered  the 
womb  of  Elizabeth  of  Hebron  and  was  clad 
there  with  a  body  in  the  fulness  of  time  and 
then  received  the  name  of  John,  it  must  be 
admitted   that   the   doctrine    of   the   Trans- 


144  Soul  Culture 

migration  of  Souls  formed  part  of  the  Phari- 
saic creed  (to  say  nothing  of  the  views  of 
Jesus),  and  that  the  expression  "rising 
from  the  dead"  meant  also  transmigration 
of  the   soul. 

With  this  doctrine  of  transmigration  or 
rising  anew  {anastasis)  of  souls  was  bound  up 
the  belief  in  the  necessity  of  a  sojourn  in  sheol, 
"the  land  of  darkness  and  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  without  any  order"  (Job  x:  22), 
in  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth  (Ps.  Ixiii:  9, 
Prov.  XV :  24),  to  which  the  "shades"  or 
subtle  bodies  of  both  the  "just"  and  the 
"unjust"  souls  were  consigned,  the  former 
to  rest  in  comfort,  the  latter  to  writhe  in 
torment.  It  is  recorded  that  King  Saul  once 
desired  a  woman  "with  a  familiar  spirit"  to 
"bring  up"  Samuel,  with  the  view  of  learn- 
ing from  him  the  issue  of  the  war  with  the 
Philistines;  that  responding  to  the  summons 
of  this  woman,  the  shade  of  the  Prophet, 
"ascending  out  of  the  earth"  and  wrapped 
in  a  mantle,  approached  Saul  and  said  to 
him,  "Why  hast  thou  disquieted  me,  to  bring 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         145 

me  up?"  and  that  after  declaring  to  kim 
the  course  of  events,  the  Prophet  concluded 
with  these  words:  "the  Lord  will  also  deliver 
Israel  with  thee  unto  the  hand  of  the  Philis- 
tines, and  to-morrow  shalt  thou  and  thy 
sons  be  with  me"  (I  Sam.  xxviii:  11-19) 
in   sheol. 

In  the  case  of  Lazarus  (the  brother  of 
Martha),  who  had  been  dead  and  buried  four 
days  before  Jesus  came  into  Bethany,  we 
find  that  his  spirit  was  not  only  summoned 
presumably  from  sheol,  like  Samuel  of  old, 
but  was  made  to  pass  into  his  corpse  and  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  Jesus,  so  that  "he  that 
was  dead  came  forth  bound  hand  and  foot 
with  grave  clothes,  and  his  face  was  bound 
about  with  a  napkin"  (John  xi:  44).  This 
was  spoken  of  as  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus, 
and  many  people  came  to  see  him  whom 
Jesus  had  raised  from  the  dead  (ib.  xii:  9). 
The  earlier  incidents  of  this  resurrection 
scene  prove  also  the  common  belief  of  the 
times  that  there  was  to  be  a  general  resur- 
rection   of    the    dead    on    a    particular    day. 


146  Soul  Culture 

When  Jesus  stepped  into  Martha's  house 
she  said,  "Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died,  but  I  know  that  even 
now  whatsoever  thou  wilt  ask  of  God,  God 
will  give  it  thee."  Jesus  saith  unto  her, 
"thy  brother  shall  rise  again."  Martha  mis- 
understanding him  replied,  "I  know  that  he 
shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last 
day  "  (ib.  xi:  21,   24). 

The  broad  features  of  the  Universal  Resur- 
rection are  supposed  to  be  contained  in  the 
following  "prophecy"  (Rev.  i:  3),  "I  saw  the 
dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God, 
and  the  books  were  opened,  and  another 
book  was  opened,  which  was  the  Book  of 
Life;  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those 
things  which  were  written  in  the  books,  ac- 
cording to  their  works.  And  death  and  hell 
were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  .  .  .  And  who- 
soever was  not  found  written  in  the  Book 
of  Life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire" 
(ib.  xx:  12-15). 

This  doctrine  of  the  General  Resurrection 
was  of  all  others  the  most  opposed  by  the 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         147 

Sadducees.     There  was  no   authority   what- 
ever for  it  in  the  Mosaic  Law. 

The  historical  books  of  the  old  Testament 
and  the  researches  of  modern  scholars  show 
that  this  doctrine  was  derived  from  Baby 
Ionian  sources. 

Conservative  as  the  Jews  were,  direct  and 
personal  as  was  the  government  of  their 
God,  they  went  the  way  of  all  hearts  of  flesh, 
"a-whoring  after  other  gods"  (I  Chron.  v: 
25),  from  the  earhest  times  (Exod.  xx:  3; 
Deut.  iv:  19;  Judges  viii:  33;  x:  16)  ;  not 
only  after  images  of  wood  and  metal,  trees 
and  high  places,  but  also  money,  woman, 
famihar  spirits,  and  other  abominations. 
The  decline  of  the  national  faith  may  be  said 
to  date  from  King  Solomon  (1030  B.C.),  who 
after  building  the  great  temple  for  Jehovah 
worshipped  nevertheless  Milcom  and  Molech, 
the  gods  of  the  Ammonites,  Astoreth  of  the 
Zidonians,  and  Chemosh  of  the  Moabites 
(I  Kings  xi:  5).  Ahaz  (B.C.  741)  is  reported 
to  have  "walked  in  the  way  of  the  Kings  of 
Israel,  yea,  he  made  his  sons  to  pass  through 


148  Soul  Culture 

the  fire  according  to  the  abomination  of  the 
heathen  .  .  .  and  he  sacrificed  and  burnt 
incense  in  the  high  places  and  on  the  hills 
and  under  every  green  tree"  (II  Kings,  xvi: 
2-4,  II  Chron.  xxviii:  4).  The  unrighteous- 
ness of  Israel  had  already  passed  into  a  pro- 
verb. "And  the  children  of  Israel  did  secretly 
those  things  that  were  not  right  against  the 
Lord  their  God,  and  they  built  their  high 
places  in  all  their  cities  .  .  .  and  they  set  them 
up  images  .  .  .  and  wrought  wicked  things" 
(II  Kings  xvii:  9-12).  National  ignorance 
and  apostasy  had  reached  their  zenith  in  the 
reign  of  Manasseh  (B.C.  696-641),  who  during 
the  fifty  years  he  ruled  in  Jerusalem  reared 
up  altars  for  Baal  and  the  hosts  of  heaven, 
and  observed  times,  as  appointed  by  astro- 
logers, used  enchantments,  and  dealt  with 
familiar  spirits  and  wizards  (II  Kings  xxi: 
3-6).  The  Mosaic  law  was  violated  in  all 
respects.  Indeed  its  very  principles  were  for- 
gotten, for  in  Josiah's  reign  it  is  recorded  that, 
in  the  course  of  repairing  the  House  of  the 
Lord  in  Jerusalem,  a  solitary  book  of  the  law 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         1 49 

was  discovered  (B.C.  621)  among  the  debris, 
and  carried  to  the   King,  who    hearing  the 
words  of  the  law  read   rent  his   clothes  and 
wept  at  the  deep  degradation  of  the  people 
and  the  priests.     He  then  "sent  and  gathered 
together  all  the  elders  of  Judah  and  Jerusa- 
lem, and  the  King  went  up  into  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  men  of  Judah  and 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  and  the  priests 
and  the  Levites  and  all  the  people,  great  and 
small.     And  he  read  in  their  ears  all  the  words 
of  the  book  of  the  covenant  that  was  found 
in   the   House   of  the  Lord.     And  the   King 
stood  in  his  place  and  made  a  covenant  be- 
fore  the   Lord  to  walk   after  the   Lord   and 
to   keep   his   commandments    and   his   testi- 
monies  and  his  statutes,  with  all  his  heart 
and  with  all  his  soul,  to  perform  the  words 
of  the   covenant  which   are  written   in   this 
book.     And  he  caused  all  that  were  present 
in  Jerusalem  and  Benjamin  to  stand  to  it  .  ,  . 
and  Josiah  took  away  all  the  abominations 
out   of   all   the   countries   that   pertained   to 
the  children  of  Israel,  and  made  all  that  were 


150  Soul  Culture 

present  in  Israel  to  serve  the  Lord  their  God. 
And  all  his  days  they  departed  not  from 
following  the  Lord"  (II  Chron.  xxxiv:  29-33). 
Upon  his  death,  however,  they  relapsed  into 
their  old  ways,  and  continued  so  until  they 
were  taken  captive  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
King  of  Babylon,  and  marched  off  (B.C.  599) 
to  Chaldaea,  "all  Jerusalem,  and  all  the 
princes,  and  all  the  mighty  men  of  Salem  .  .  . 
and  craftsmen  and  smiths.  None  remained, 
save  the  poorest  sort  of  the  people  of  the 
land"  (II  Kings  xxiv:  13,  14). 

It  was  most  probably  during  the  captivity 
that  the  Jews,  in  ignorance  of  their  religion, 
allowed  themselves  to  pass  under  the  do- 
minion of  customs  and  superstitions  which 
were  wholly  foreign  to  the  Law  of  Moses. 
It  has  been  admitted  by  Mr.  Isaac  D'Israeli 
that  the  Rabbins  have  no  good  reason  for 
referring  to  Moses  and  Mount  Sinai  the  twelve 
folios  of  the  Babylonish  Talmud  or  "the 
Doctrinal,"  on  the  authenticity  of  which 
such  "legends"  have  found  acceptance  with 
the   Scribes   and   Pharisees,   whose  want   of 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         1 5 1 

spiritual      discernment      Jesus      condemned 
severely   (Matt,   xxiii:   23). 

The  first  clear  mention  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  General  Resurrection  of  the  Dead  in  the 
Old  Testament  is  supposed  to  occur  in  the 
book  of  Ezekiel  (B.C.  587),  who  was  long  resi- 
dent in  Babylon,  having  been  taken  thither 
as  captive  in  his  twenty-fifth  year.  Know- 
ing that  his  countrymen  believed  in  the  gen- 
eral resurrection,  he  appears  to  have  utilised 
it  for  the  purpose  of  raising  the  national 
faith  from  the  slough  of  corruption  and  de- 
spondency into  which  it  had  fallen.  He 
maintained  that  the  Jews  were  still  the  chosen 
people  of  the  Lord.  It  was  true  that  the 
nation  with  whom  the  old  covenant  was 
made  had  been  driven  from  the  fatherland, 
its  temple  and  altar  destroyed,  and  its  priest- 
hood disbanded;  it  was  true  that  the 
"bones"  of  Israel  lay  scattered  in  barbarous 
countries,  intermingled  with  the  bones  of 
the  uncircumcised ;  but  yet  the  covenant  of 
God  stood,  because  the  Lord  had  declared  to 
him  that  he  would  clothe  "the  dry  bones" 


152  Soul  Culture 

(or  poverty  of  worldly  spirit),  of  "the  dead" 
(or  those  who  have  been  dead  unto  the  world 
and  become  alive  unto  the  Lord)  with  "flesh " 
(or  the  fulness  of  spirituality),  and  lead 
them  back  to  Israel  (or  the  realm  of  Peace) 
in  the  vigour  of  (eternal)  life.  Such  was 
the  tenor  of  Ezekiel's  impressive  Vision  of  the 
Dry  Bones,  which,  be  it  remembered,  was 
expressed  only  for  the  purpose  of  inculcating 
a  grand  spiritual  truth,  viz.,  that  those  who 
are  dead  unto  the  world  shall  be  reborn  as 
sons  of  God.  "The  hand  of  the  Lord,"  he 
declared,  "was  upon  me  and  carried  me  out 
in  the  spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  set  me  down 
in  the  midst  of  the  valley,  which  was  full  of 
bones,  and  caused  me  to  pass  by  them  round 
about,  and  behold!  there  were  very  many 
in  the  open  valley,  and  lo!  they  were  very 
dry.  And  He  said  tmto  me  'Son  of  man,  can 
these  bones  live?'  And  I  answered,  '0  Lord, 
thou  knowest.'  Again  He  said  unto  me 
*  Prophesy  upon  these  bones  and  say  unto 
them,  O  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord.'     Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto  these 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         1 53 

bones:  'Behold,  I  will  cause  breath  to  enter 
into  you,  and  ye  shall  live;  and  I  will  lay 
sinews  upon  you  and  will  bring  up  flesh  upon 
you,  and  cover  you  with  skin,  and  put  breath 
in  you,  and  ye  shall  live,  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord.'  So  I  prophesied  as  I 
was  commanded,  and  as  I  prophesied  there 
was  a  noise  and  behold  a  shaking,  and  the 
dry  bones  came  together,  bone  to  his  (its) 
bone;  and  when  I  beheld,  lo!  the  sinews 
and  the  flesh  came  up  upon  them,  and  the 
skin  covered  them  above,  but  there  was  no 
breath  in  them.  Then  said  He  unto  me, 
'  Prophesy  unto  the  wind,  prophesy,  son  of 
man,  and  say  to  the  wind  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God:  'Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath, 
and  breathe  upon  these  slain  that  they  may 
live.'  So  I  prophesied  as  He  commanded 
me,  and  the  breath  came  into  them,  and  they 
lived  and  stood  up  upon  their  feet,  an  exceed- 
ingly great  army.  Then  He  said  unto  me, 
'Son  of  man,  these  bones  are  the  whole  house 
of  Israel.  Behold,  they  say,  our  bones  are 
dried  and  our  hope  is  lost,  we  are  cut  off  our 


154  '5"^"^  Culture 

parts.  Therefore  prophesy  and  say  unto 
them,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Behold! 
O  my  people,  I  will  open  your  graves  and 
cause  you  to  come  up  out  of  them  and  bring 
you  into  the  land  of  Israel ;  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have  opened  your 
graves,  0  my  people,  and  brought  j^ou  up 
out  of  your  graves;  and  I  shall  put  my  Spirit 
in  you  and  ye  shall  live,  and  I  shall  place  you 
in  your  own  land.  Then  shall  ye  know  that  I, 
the  Lord,  have  spoken  it  and  performed  it, 
saith  the  Lord'"  (xxxvii:  1-14). 

The  last  part  of  this  prophecy  beginning 
with  "  O  my  people,  I  will  open  your  graves, " 
is  a  good  illustration  of  an  allegory  within 
an  allegory,  for  it  conveys,  in  words  charac- 
teristic of  the  vulgar  doctrine  of  the  Resur- 
rection of  the  Body,  a  great  truth  relating  to 
the  conversion  or  Regeneration  of  the  Spirit. 
If  worldly  minds  be  substituted  for  "graves, " 
holy  land  or  state  of  perfection  for  "the  land 
of  Israel,  "  and  freeing  the  mind  of  its  worldli- 
ness  for  "opening  of  the  grave,"  the  meaning 
of  the  second  allegory  will  be  clear. 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         155 

When  Ezekiel  and  Daniel  are  quoted  "as 
the  first  distinct  authorities  on  which  this 
belief  (in  the  General  Resurrection  of  the 
Dead)  might  be  grounded"  (Dean  Milman's 
History  of  Christianity,  Vol.  I,  p.  73,  revised 
edition  of  1875),  we  must  carefully  distinguish 
their  own  creed  from  that  of  the  masses  of 
their  countrymen  whom  they  were  en- 
deavouring to  "snare"  and  press  into  "the 
way  of  life," — to  convert  from  error  and 
lead  unto  Truth. 

Another  great  doctrine  taught  by  the 
Prophets  to  their  countrymen  was  the  Ad- 
vent of  the  Messiah  (the  anointed),  who  was 
to  spring  from  the  "  seed  "  of  David,  appear  in 
the  "Temple"  on  "Mount  Moriah,"  summon 
together  the  "dispersed  tribes,"  conquer  all 
their  " enemies "  and  establish  a  "universal 
empire,"  the  centre  of  which  was  to  be 
"  Zion,"  the  holy  city. 

To  the  Prophets  the  Messiah  or  Christ  did 
not  mean  a  person  made  of  flesh  and  blood, 
but  a  soul  sanctified  by  apt  methods.  Isaiah 
expressly  says  that  Christ  is  without  fonn  or 


156  Soul  Culture 

proportion  and  yet  is  transcendingly  beauti- 
ful (liii:  2).  It  is  only  those  who  have  been 
blessed  with  the  fundamental  experiences  re- 
ferred to  at  Chapter  iv,  p.  98,  that  know,  and 
bear  witness  to,  the  great  truth  that,  when 
the  little  light,  little  love,  and  little  peace 
which  exist  in  the  human  heart  grow  wider 
and  wider  and  attain  their  fullest  maturity, 
they  run  one  into  another  and  form  an  In- 
finite whole,  a  supremely  real  and  sacred 
Personality,  called  the  Anointed  of  God,  be- 
cause of  this  grace  fully  shed  upon  It  and 
making  It  of  His  own  likeness.  The  "dis- 
persed tribes,"  known  also  as  the  "tribes  of 
the  earth,"  are  understood  by  the  sanctified 
to  be  the  different  instruments  of  knowledge 
and  action  given  by  God  to  aid  the  soul  in 
its  progress  towards  Him,  but  which,  being 
urged  by  Folly,  have  gone  worldwards,  away 
from  God  and  the  care  of  the  Soul;  and  "uni- 
versal empire"  is  the  domination  of  God  in 
all  man's  thoughts  when  his  conversion  from 
worldliness  to  godliness  has  taken  place  by 
the  grace  of  God;  and  Zion  is  the  Soul  thus 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         157 

sanctified  in  the  human  body  and  forming  the 
real  temple  of  God. 

But  the  ignorant  multitude  and  even 
learned  scribes  and  Pharisees  had  very  differ- 
ent and  conflicting  ideas  of  the  Sanctified 
Soul  or  Messiah  or  Christ.  "Each  region, 
each  rank,"  says  Dean  Milman,  "the  Baby- 
lonian, the  Egyptian,  the  Palestinian,  the 
Samaritan;  the  Pharisee,  the  Lawyer,  the 
Zealot,  arrayed  the  Messiah  in  those  attri- 
butes which  suited  his  own  temperament. 
Of  that  which  was  more  methodically  taught 
in  the  synagogue  or  the  adjacent  school,  the 
populace  caught  up  whatever  made  the 
deeper  impression.  The  enthusiasm  took  an 
active  or  contemplative,  an  ambitious  or  a 
religious,  an  earthly  or  a  heavenly  tone,  ac- 
cording to  the  education,  habits,  or  station 
of  the  believer;  and  to  different  men  the 
Messiah  was  man  or  angel;  he  was  King,  con- 
queror, or  moral  reformer;  a  more  victorious 
Joshua,  a  more  magnificent  Herod,  a  wider- 
ruling  Caesar,  a  wiser  Moses,  a  holier  Abra- 
ham; an  angel,  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant, 


158  Soul  Culture 

the  Metatron,  the  Mediator  between  God 
and  man.  .  .  ,  While  this  was  the  rehgious 
belief,  some  there  were,  no  doubt,  of  the 
Sadducaic  party,  or  the  half-Groecised  ad- 
herents of  the  Herodian  family,  who  treated 
the  whole  as  a  popular  delusion"  (Hist,  of 
Christianity,    i,    80). 

The  bulk  of  the  Jews,  who  knew  nothing 
of  the  inner  truths  of  Judaism,  mixed  up  the 
Coming  of  the  Messiah  with  the  General 
Resurrection  of  the  Dead,  which  having  been 
borrowed  from  Babylon  during  the  captivity, 
formed  the  leading  article  of  the  schism  be- 
tween the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees. 

Reference  must  now  be  made  to  another 
section  of  the  Jews  known  as  the  Essenians , 
who  are  mentioned  by  Philo,  a  contempo- 
rary writer,  as  an  old  established  sect. 

Josephus  wrote  of  them  as  follows:  "They 
cherish  mutual  love  beyond  other  men;  they 
reject  all  pleasures  as  sinful,  and  look  on 
temperance  and  a  conquest  over  their  passions 
as  the  greatest  virtue.  There  prevails 
among  them  a  contempt  of  matrimony,  but 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         159 

they  receive  the  children  of  others  and  edu- 
cate them  as  their  own  while  yet  tender  and 
susceptible  of  instructions.  They  despise 
riches.  .  .  .  Their  food  is  of  the  plainest 
kind.  ,  .  .  They  avoid  all  swearing  ,  .  .  and 
consider  their  word  the  same  as  an  oath.  .  .  . 
If  any  one  wishes  to  join  their  sect  he  must 
undergo  a  year's  probation,  and  when  he  has 
proved  himself,  is  made  a  part-aker  of  the 
waters  of  purification.  There  are  also  those 
among  them  who  foretell  things  to  come. 
...  It  also  deserves  our  admiration  how 
much  they  excel  all  other  men  in  virtue  and 
righteousness  to  such  a  degree  as  hath  never 
appeared  among  other  men.  .  .  .  There  are 
about  four  thousand  men  who  live  in  this 
way,  and  neither  marry  nor  keep  servants, 
thinking  the  latter  tempts  men  to  be  unjust, 
and  the  former  gives  a  handle  to  domestic 
quarrels  "  {Wars  of  the  Jews,  II,  chap,  viii,  and 
Antiquities,  XVIII,  chap.  i). 

And  Philo  says  that  the  name  "  Essenian" 
means  holy;  that  they  aimed  at  attaining  the 
highest  holiness  in  the  worship  of  God,  not 


i6o  Soul  Culture 

by  sacrificing  animals  but  by  purity  of  heart ; 
that  they  left  learning  and  logic  to  vain  and 
subtle  metaphysicians,  and  contented  them- 
selves with  the  acquisition  of  virtue  and  the 
knowledge  of  God;  that  they  all  lived  in  com- 
mon, in  thinly  populated  places  and  deserts; 
that  their  food  was  coarse  bread  seasoned  with 
salt,  and  their  drink  plain  water;  that  they 
assiduously  practised  humility  and  considered 
their  aim  in  life  to  be  death  to  the  world, 
and  that  many  of  them  delivered  magnificent 
visions,  and  were  hence  called  Prophets. 

Philo  belonged,  according  to  Jerome,  to 
the  priestly  class  of  the  Jews.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  learned  men  of  the  age,  having 
devoted  his  best  resources  to  a  careful  study 
of  esoteric  Judaism  as  it  was  understood  at 
the  time  of  Jesus,  whose  contemporary  he 
was.  His  exposition  of  it  is  supposed  by  some 
men  learned  in  philosophies  to  be  deeply 
tinged  with  the  principles  of  the  Pytha- 
gorean, Stoic,  and  Platonic  schools,  which 
flourished  in  Alexandria  where  he  usually 
lived.     But    it    matters    little    whence    his 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         1 6 1 

knowledge  of  the  doctrines  was  derived,  or 
whether  his  principles  are  to  be  viewed  as 
Judaic  or  Hellenic  or  Hellenistico-Judaic, 
seeing  that  those  of  them  at  least  which  are 
cited  below  are  assuredly  the  doctrines  of 
Jesus  and  other  sanctified  souls  also. 

According  to  Philo's  exposition,  God  is 
Perfect  Being,  transcending  all  quantity  and 
quality,  and  therefore  unchangeable,  eternal, 
free,  and  self-sufficient.  In  Him  inheres 
Logos  (rendered  in  the  English  Bible  as  the 
Word),  which  is  the  operative  principle  of 
creation  (thcoi  logos  hide  kosmoposonntos), 
the  power  or  intelligent  force  which  causes 
the  cosmic  element  {hide)  to  evolve  as  the 
beautiful  and  orderly  universe.  The  world 
(kosmos)  is  not  bom  of,  or  developed  from, 
God,  but  from  the  rudiment,  stuff,  or  materia 
(called  hide,  the  material  cause)  of  the  world. 
Originally  all  souls  were  of  the  image  of  God, 
but  those  of  them  that  were  attracted  by  the 
world  became  afflicted  with  evil  and  subject 
to  sin;  and  the  body  in  which  they  are  clothed 
is  a  real  "prison,  a  coffin,  or  a  grave  for  the 


1 62  Soul  Culture 

soul  which  seeks  to  rise  again  to  God." 
Man,  being  a  captive  to  sense,  cannot  of  his 
own  power  escape  from  the  fetters  of  the 
world.  "As  moral  effort  can  bear  fruit  only 
with  God's  help,  so  too  God  himself  is  the 
goal  of  that  effort.  Even  in  this  life,  the  truly 
wise  and  virtuous  is  lifted  above  his  sensible 
existence  and  enjoys  in  ecstacy  the  vision 
of  God,  his  own  consciousness  sinking  and 
disappearing  in  the  divine  light.  Beyond 
this  ecstacy  there  lies  but  a  further  step,  yxz., 
entire  liberation  from  the  body  of  sense  (or 
the  tangible  body)  and  the  return  of  the  soul 
to  its  original  condition.  It  came  from  God 
and  must  rise  to  Him  again.  But  natural 
death  brings  this  consummation  only  to 
those  who,  while  they  lived  on  earth,  kept 
themselves  free  from  attachment  to  the 
things  of  sense;  all  others  must  at  death 
pass  into  another  body"  (Prof.  E.  Schurer 
on  "Philo,"  Encyc.  Brit,  xviii,  762,  ninth 
ed.). 

Another    learned    writer    observes,    "The 
Essenes   bore   one   of  the  most  momentous 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         163 

parts  in  the  development  of  Judaism.  Christ- 
ianity stands  in  so  close  connection  with 
them  that  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus  Christ 
himself  have  by  some  been  pronounced  to 
have  issued  from  their  ranks. 

"  Josephus,  Philo,  Pliny,  Eusebius,  and  the 
Fathers  generally  were  long  considered  the 
sources  and  the  only  sources  from  which 
the  genuine  history  of  this  fraternity  could 
be  deduced.  Strange  that  for  so  many  cen- 
turies the  real  and  genuine  sources  —  the 
Talmudic  writings  —  should  never  have  been 
thought  of.  These,  together  with  Josephus 
and  Philo,  PHny,  Makrisi,  and  Abulfarig 
better  enable  us  to  form  an  idea  of  the  com- 
munity. .  .  .  The  Mishna,  Beraitha,  and 
Talmud  speak  of  the  advanced  Pharisees  in 
general  as  Chasidim  (pious  men),  Nazirim 
(abstinents)  and  Toble  Schacharitti.  .  .  .  They 
became  the  forerunners  of  the  Christian 
Gnostics  and  of  the  Jewish  Cahbalisis.  ...  As 
they  had  sprung  from  the  Pharisees,  so  they 
again  merged  into  them.  The  remaining  part 
became  TherapeiUce  or  (Ascetic)  Christians  " 


164  Soul  Culture 

(Chambers'    Encyclopedia,    Art.     "Essenes," 
vol.  iv,  pp.  427-428). 

The  foregoing  survey  of  religious  thought 
among  the  Jews  ought  to  make  it  clear  that 
Judaism  consisted  of  three  orders  of  beliefs 
in  the  days  of  Jesus,  namely,  those  held  by 
the  Saddiicees,  the  Pharisees,  and  the  Essenes. 
They  were  not  three  separate  systems  but 
parts  of  a  whole.  Each  was  a  stage  in  the 
Way  to  the  Goal  which  the  Jews  aspired  to 
reach.  The  Sadducees,  being  too  literal  in 
the  interpretation  of  the  Law  delivered  by 
Moses,  occupied  the  first  stage;  then  came 
the  Pharisees;  and  nearest  the  goal  stood  the 
Essenes.  For  all  the  three  fraternities  were 
agreed  that  salvation  meant  the  Healing  of 
the  Corruption  of  the  Soul  and  attainment  of 
God.  Their  common  ideal  was  to  see  God 
(Gen.  xxxii:  30);  to  be  with  God  (Gen. 
xxvi:  24;  Deut.  xviii:  13;  Josh,  iii:  7;  Judges 
vi:  12;  I  Sam.  x:  7;  I  Kings  viii:  57;  Isa. 
xli:  15);  to  sit  at  the  right  hand  of  God 
(Ps.  ex:  i);  to  talk  with  God  (Gen.  xxxv: 
13);  to  wait  upon  the  Lord  (Isa.  xl:  31);  to 


The  Law  and  the  Prophets         165 

have  the  thought  established  on  God  (Pro v. 
xvi:  3);  to  find  rest  (Isa.  Ivii:  20);  to  have 
peace  (Isa.  Ivii:  21;  Jer.  xxiii:  17);  to  find 
grace  or  favour  in  His  sight  (Judges  vi:  17); 
to  be  blessed  of  the  Lord  (Gen.  xxvi:  29); 
to  have  power  with  Him  or  to  prevail  over 
Him  (Gen.  xxxii:  28);  to  be  able  not  to  let 
Him  go  without  a  blessing  (Gen.  xxxii:  26); 
to  cleave  unto  Him  (Deut.  x:  10,  20;  Josh, 
xxiii:  8);  to  love  the  Lord  (Deut.  xxx:  16; 
Josh,  xxiii:  11);  to  serve  God  (Deut.  x:  20); 
to  serve  Him  in  sincerity  and  truth  (Josh, 
xxiv:  14;  I  Sam.  xii:  24);  to  fear  Him 
(Gen.  xxii:  12;  Deut.  x:  20,  Josh,  xxiv:  14; 
I  Sam.  xii:  14);  not  to  turn  aside  from 
following  the  Lord  (I  Sam.  xii:  20;  Josh, 
i:  7);  to  be  upright  and  eschew  evil  (Job  i: 
8) ;  to  walk  before  Him  in  integrity  and  up- 
rightness (I  Kings  ix:  4);  to  be  perfect  (Gen. 
vi:  9;  ib.  xvii:  i;  Deut.  xviii:  13;  I  Kings 
viii:  61 ;  Job  i  :  8). 

According  to  the  Sadducees  "the  way" 
(Deut.  xi:  27)  to  perfection  and  God,  —  "the 
way  of  life"  (Deut.  xxx:  20)  as  opposed  to 


1 66  Soul  Culture 

"the  way  of  death"  (Jer.  xxi:  8),  —  "the 
good  and  the  right  way"  (I  Sam.  xii:  23), 
was  the  observance  of  the  written  law  of 
Moses;  according  to  the  Pharisees,  the  ob- 
servance of  the  written  law,  tempered  by  the 
traditional  oral  law;  and  according  to  the 
Essenes,  a  heartfelt  adherence  to  righteous- 
ness founded  on  a  complete  renunciation  of 
worldly  life  (which  the  law  of  Moses  sought  to 
spiritualise  by  a  system  of  fasting  and  sac- 
rifice), and  single-minded  devotion  to  those 
practices  which  had  been  organised  if  not 
originated  in  Judasa  by  Samuel  the  prophet  for 
the  purpose  of  effectually  sanctifying  the  soul. 
The  Sadducees  and  Pharisees  espoused  the 
outer  shell  or  exoteric  phase  of  Judaism,  and 
the  Essenes  its  inner  kernel  or  esoteric  phase. 
"The  Law  mid  the  Prophets"  is  the  ex- 
pression used  among  the  Jews  to  denote  this 
distinction.  It  includes  the  whole  of  the 
Judaic  way,  fulfilled  by  the  supremely  grand 
teaching  of  the  Psalms  on  Oneness  of  Love  or 
"Unity  of  Faith." 


CHAPTER  VI 
ON  THE  TEACHINGS  OF  THE  PSALMS 


167 


The    Psalms   are    songs   of  either   seekers   of   God 
(Yogis),  or  of  those  who  have  sought  and  found 
God  {Jndnis). 
In   illustration   of   their   teachings,   a   few    Psalms 

considered. 
Lessons  of  the  first   Psalm: 
Greatness   of   Blessedness. 

Nature    of    Blessedness    and    of    happiness 
of  the  worldly-minded. 
How  to  attain  Blessedness. 

Should   suppress   tempting   thought   at   the 

very  outset. 
Should  never  entertain  it. 
Should  not  court  temptation,  but  hold  aloof 
from  it. 

The  corruption  that  rises  in  the  mind  as  a 
tempting   thought    lurks   in   the    mind, 
the  senses,  and   other  members  of  the 
body. 
Necessity    for    isolating    the    spirit    from 
corruption  and  withdrawing  the  energy 
of  the  Spirit  from  the  offending  member. 
Should  avoid  derision,  raillery,  and  caustic 
wit,   because    they   choke    the    growth   of 
love. 
Should   revel   in    love    of    God   with    simple 
minded  devotion. 
Must   practise   meditation   daily. 
Nature  of  meditation. 


168 


Benefit     of     meditation.     Expansion     of 
spiritual     discernment,     sound     bodily 
health,  and  spiritual  happiness. 
Evils    of   worldliness. 
Lessons  of  the  second  Psalm: 

It  is  usual  for  those  who  would  be  spiritual  to 
be  tempted  to  abandon  their  efforts  to  attain 
God. 
How  corruption  makes  a  grand  effort  to  over- 
come the  awakened  soul. 
The  design  of  the  Lord  in  regard  to  souls  which 
have  been  quickened  by  hearing  the  word 
of  God,  explained. 
It  is  His  will  that  the  seeking  soul  shall  become 

a  Son  of  God  or  Christ. 
After  attaining  Christhood,  the  sanctified 
soul  shall  for  ever  be  the  ruler  of  his  own 
household,  the  members  whereof  will  serve 
him  truly,  without  any  longer  acknow- 
ledging the  sway  of  corruption. 
Lessons  of  the  third  Psalm: 

Abatement  of  thought  in  spiritual  communion 

is  a  work  of  extreme  difficulty. 
But  with  the  help  of  the  Lord  it  is  possible  to 
overcome  the  vagaries  of  thought  and  attain 
Peace. 
The  Lord  is  the  author  of  all  salvation.  It  is 
He  who  blesses  those  who  acknowledge  Him 
to  be  the  sovereign  niler  of  the  universe. 


169 


Other  illustrations: 

"Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God"  (Ps,  xlvi: 

lo). 
"He  bringeth  them  unto   the   desired  haven" 
(ib.    cvii;    30). 
The  Psalms  are  a  book  of  the  spiritual  experiences 
of  those   who,   knowing  that  life  on  earth  was 
meant  for  the  kingship  of  the  spirit  over  flesh, 
make  it  their  business  to  attain  it  amidst  the 
turmoil  of  worldly  engagements,  by  beseeching 
God  daily  and  hourly  for  strength  and  purity. 


170 


THE  TEACHING  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Reading  the  Psalms  by  the  Hght  of  those 
godly  men  called  Jncinis  or  Jivanmuktas ,  who 
have  attained  a  full  knowledge  of  God,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  identify  the  Psalms  as  the 
Songs  of  either  seekers  of  God  or  those  who 
have  sought  and  found  God.  In  India 
these  two  classes  of  spirits  are  commonly 
called  Yogis.  Strictly,  however,  Yogis  are 
only  seekers;  those  who  have  succeeded  in 
the  search  are  Yuktas  or  Jndnis  (knowers). 
In  the  Book  of  Psalms  we  have  the  out- 
pourings of  both  Yogis  and  Yuktas,  and 
from  these  songs  may  be  collected  many 
a  doctrine  of  Truth  and  Grace,  and  many 
an  exercise  in  Godliness.  In  illustration, 
the  first  three  Psalms  may  be  taken  and 
considered  at  some  length. 

The  first  Psalm  is  clearly  that  of  a  Jndni 
(or  knower  of  God).  It  explains  in  the 
first  three  verses  how  growth  in  Blessedness 

171 


172  Soul  Culture 

or  Peace  is  to  be  secured,  and  in  the  next 
three  verses  how  the  schemes  of  corruption 
or  the  son  of  perdition  (II  Thes.  ii:  3),  to  keep 
the  soul  in  his  captivity,  are  reduced  to 
naught  by  the  omniscient  grace  of  God. 

Like  Jesus'  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the 
Psahnist's  exhortation  begins  with  the  great- 
ness of  Blessedness.  This  is  the  keynote  of 
the  Psalm.  One  who  knows  in  actual 
experience  what  Blessedness  is,  knows  also 
the  doctrines  and  practices  necessary  for 
its  realisation,  because  it  is  by  such  paths 
he  attained  Blessedness. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man 

That  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly 
Nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners 
Nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful." 

Blessedness  is  spiritual  joy  as  distinguished 
from  worldly  joy.  The  highest  of  spiritual 
joys  is  that  within  the  experience  of  those 
only  who  have  attained  God,  as  the  result 
of  their  ability  to  isolate  the  spirit  from  all 
its  surroundings,  even  from  sense  impres- 
sions  and  thoughts.     When  the  spirit  thus 


The  Psalmists  173 

stands  Alone,  it  is  supremely  peaceful. 
This  peace,  trancending  all  thought  and 
therefore  all  modes  or  changes,  is  Blessed- 
ness. Next  to  it  conies  the  happiness  of 
those  who  would  be  blessed.  Their  chief 
desire  is  to  keep  the  mind  well  established  in 
the  spirit,  and  the  tongue  .and  hand  devoted 
to  works  that  relate  to  the  growth  of  spirit- 
uality in  themselves  and  others ;  but  as  such 
instruments  have  often  to  combat  opposing 
forces  lurking  in  those  very  instruments, 
the  happiness  of  this  class  of  persons  though 
uplifting  is  occasionally  tinged  with  sadness. 
And  as  regards  the  happiness  of  all  other 
beings,  it  is  rooted  in  some  passing  worldly 
desire.  It  begins  at  the  moment  of  grasp- 
ing the  object  desired  and  ends  with  the 
relaxing  of  that  grasp.  The  duration  of 
each  sensuous  enjoyment  is  thus  very  short. 
If  wanting  in  novelty,  enjoyment  diminishes; 
if  oft  repeated,  it  is  fatigixing.  Neverthe- 
less, the  minds  which  pursue  sensuous 
pleasures  stalk  sensuous  objects,  knowing 
nothing   of    the   more    refined    and    durable 


174  Soul  Cidture 

happiness  of  seekers  of  God,  or  the  unspeak- 
able blessedness  of  those  who  have  found 
God. 

The  great  Psalmist  declares  that  the  man 
who  "walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  un- 
godly" will  attain  the  spiritual  joy  called 
Blessedness.  The  spirit  which  strives  for  it 
should  never  hearken  to  the  promptings  of 
corruption  or  wickedness,  which  in  Psalm 
ii:  I  is  spoken  of  as  the  "heathen,"  and  in 
Psalm  x:  i8  as  "the  man  of  the  earth,"  the 
very  expressions  used  by  St.  Paul  in  I  Cor. 
XV :  47,  to  denote  the  spirit  of  error  work- 
ing mysteriously  within  the  instruments  of 
knowledge  and  action  for  its  base  purposes. 
"As  is  the  earth,  so  are  they  that  are  earthy" 
(ib.  48).  The  "Ungodly"  are  the  spirit  of 
error  and  its  emanations. 

The  man  who  labours  for  Godliness  must  be 
wakeful  enough  to  suppress  at  the  very  out- 
set a  tempting  thought.  He  must  not  enter- 
tain it  for  a  second. 

The  divine  Psalmist  further  explains  that 
the  high  estate  of  Blessedness  can  never  be 


The  Psalmists  175 

reached  by  one  who  "  standeth  in  the  way  of 
sinners."  "Sinners"  is  another  name  for 
the  ungodly.  They  are  the  spirit  of  error 
and  its  different  manifestations.  They  stand 
estranged  from  God.  Their  characteristics 
are  those  of  the  "wicked"  who,  says  the 
Psalmist  in  x:  4,  "will  not  seek  after  God; 
God  is  not  in  all  his  thoughts."  Lying  con- 
cealed in  the  senses  and  in  the  faculties  of 
thought  and  speech,  and  in  the  hands,  feet, 
and  other  limbs,  he  has  trained  all  of 
them  to  be  his  allies  in  sin,  much  to  the 
injury  of  the  soul  for  whose  benefit  they 
were  created. 

What  is  enjoined  by  the  Psalmist  is  that 
the  God-loving  spirit  should  not  court  temp- 
tation by  standing  in  the  way  of  the  tempter, 
as  if  to  meet  him.  It  should  on  the  contrary 
stand  out  of  his  way  and  hold  itself  aloof  from 
him.  It  therefore  follows  that  Isolation  is 
the  surest  remedy  against  the  onslaughts 
of  corruption;  not  life  in  lonely  places,  but 
the  standing  aloof  of  the  spirit  from  the 
seducing    ministers    who,    entangled    in    the 


176  Soul  Culture 

meshes  of  worldliness,  will  do  its  bidding  if 
the  energy  of  the  spirit  is  not  promptly  with- 
drawn from  them.  Just  as  in  sleep  the  sub- 
sidence of  energy  into  the  spirit  causes  the 
activities  of  the  senses  and  other  faculties 
of  thought,  speech,  and  movement,  to  cease, 
so  in  waking  moments  also  the  spirit  should 
not  lend  its  energy  to  the  ministers  that 
would  function  in  obedience  to  the  man  of 
the  earth. 

Eyes  were  given  to  see  what  is  good  and 
beautiful  in  life,  but  under  the  captivity  of 
Corruption  eyes  delight  in  beholding  sensu- 
ous scenes.  Ears  were  given  to  hear  sound 
doctrine  —  the  doctrine  that  heals  the  soul 
of  its  corruption  —  but,  from  association 
with  the  spirit  of  error  they  love  to  hear 
gossip,  scandal,  and  other  kinds  of  vain  and 
evil  talk.  In  the  same  way,  other  instru- 
ments, given  to  help  the  spirit  towards  God- 
liness, drag  him  deeper  into  the  mire  of 
worldliness.  When  your  servants  sinfully 
betray  you  into  the  hands  of  your  enemy, 
that  is,  the  evil  spirit  within  you,  what  other 


The  Psalmists  177 

course  is  there  for  you,  the  spirit,  than  to 
withdraw  from  them  your  suppHes  of  energy 
needful    for    action  ? 

The  Psalmist  next  describes  some  of  the 
habits  of  the  carnally-minded  man,  other- 
wise called  the  heathen  or  the  sinner  within 
the  body.  He  and  his  forces  are  "scornful." 
The  weapon  of  wickedness  is  not  argument, 
but  ridicule.  It  leers,  makes  faces,  despises. 
Professing  love  for  truth,  it  is  ever  on  the 
watch  to  bring  it  into  disrepute  by  the  slyest 
methods.  It  is  painfully  egotistic.  "/  did 
this,  not  you."  "But  for  nie,  things  would 
have  gone  wrong."  "What  did  he  do? 
Nothing  at  all."  ''He  is  no  good."  Such 
are  its  formulas  of  self-appreciation  and 
depreciation  of  others.  It  is  always  differ- 
entiating between  itself  and  others.  If  con- 
vinced of  its  own  superiority,  it  gloats  over 
the  fact  and  loses  no  opportunity  to  remind 
others  of  their  comparative  smallness.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  feels  they  are  superior, 
it  will  not  only  refuse  to  acknowledge  that 
fact,    but    will    even    hate    them    for    their 


178  Sold  Culture 

superiority,  ever  waiting  for  an  opportunity 
to  misrepresent  them.  "They  hate  me  with- 
out a  cause,"  said  the  spiritual  man  of  worldly 
men  (Psalm  Ixix:  4;  John  xv:  25). 

To  be  with  the  scorner  and  copy  his  ways 
of  derision,  raillery,  and  caustic  wit  is  to 
choke  the  seeds  of  Love  and  Truth  in  the 
Soul.  The  blissfulness  of  Spiritual  Life  will 
not  be  vouchsafed  to  one  who  practises  such 
works  of  the  Fool  (Ps.  xiv:  i ;  ib.  xlix:  13). 

Isolating  himself  as  much  as  possible  from 
the  sinful  and  scornful  spirit  of  error,  the 
seeker  after  God  should  ''delight  in  the  Law 
of  the  Lord,"  says  the  anointed  Psalmist. 
He  must  ascertain  what  that  Law  is  and  then 
obey  it  with  glowing  enthusiasm. 

"If  thou  wilt  enter  into  life"  (or  Eternal 
Life  or  knowledge  of  God,  John  17:  3),  said 
Jesus,  "keep  the  Commandments"  (Matt, 
xix  :  17);  and  in  answer  to  the  question, 
"Which  is  the  greatest  commandment  in 
the  Law?"  he  said,  "Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.     This  is 


The  Psalmists  179 

the  first  and  great  commandment.  And  the 
second  is  hke  unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself.  On  these  two  com- 
mandments hang  all  the  Law  and  the  Pro- 
phets (Matt,  xxii:    36-40)." 

The  true  seeker  is  he  who  doth  ''meditate 
day  and  night''  upon  the  supremely  beautiful 
and  all  comprehensive  Love  of  God.  Having 
learnt  from  the  Anointed  Teacher  the  differ- 
entiating ways  of  Darkness  or  Hate,  the  apt 
disciple  should  cultivate  the  art  of  unifying 
himself  in  spirit  with  all  others,  by  remember- 
ing that  bodies  are  only  vestments  of  the 
spirit,  and  that  it  is  time  vainly  spent  to  note 
the  disparities  between  bodies  that  are  de- 
stined to  fall  off  and  rot.  He  should  meditate 
particularly  how  God,  the  Infinite  Spirit, 
stands  evenly  in  the  finite  spirits  of  all  living 
bodies  and  maintains  and  protects  them  all 
unceasingly.  He  should  find  exemplifications 
of  the  Lord's  mercies  and  continuously  make 
his  mind  run  upon  the  grace  that  has  been 
shed  upon  him  and  all  others  in  numberless 
ways.     In    this    manner    he    should    expand 


i«o 


Soul  Culture 


his  spiritual  discernment  so  as  to  establish 
himself  more  and  more  upon  God ;  even  as  in 
days  of  yore  he  allowed  his  mind  to  run  on 
worldly  things  and  found  himself  established 
on  sensuousness  or  worldliness,  with  the 
result  that  he  was  never  happy  for  any  length 
of  time  but  was  tossed  about  like  a  dry  leaf, 
a  plaything  of  every  passing  humour. 

The  Psalmist,  having  himself  passed  from 
worldliness  to  Godliness,  gives  his  disciple 
the  assurance  that  by  the  practice  of  medita- 
tion on  Godly  Love  day  and  night,  that  is, 
twice  a  day  at  least,  "he  shall  be  like  a  tree 
planted  by  rivers  of  water  that  bringeth 
forth  its  fruit  in  its  season."  How  pleasing 
is  a  tree  loaded  with  luscious  fruit!  How 
much  more  precious  is  it  when,  by  reason  of 
its  establishment  on  the  banks  of  a  perennial 
stream  of  fresh  water  it  yields  a  perennial 
harvest!  Even  so,  the  seeker  who,  divorced 
from  the  ways  of  the  flesh,  establishes  him- 
self on  Truth  and  Love  by  daily  meditations 
and  deep  spiritual  communion,  grows  strong 
in  spirit  and  brings  forth  the  fruits  of  the 


The  Psalmists 


i»i 


spirit,  called  Christliood,  and  the  power  of 
healing  the  corrupt  maladies  of  other  souls 
by  effective  instruction. 

"Its  leaf  also  shall  not  wither,"  says  the 
Psalmist,  of  the  tree  that  draws  life  from 
the  pure  stream.  He  means  the  powers  of  the 
body  and  mind,  for  worthy  purposes,  will  not 
diminish  or  disappear,  while  spiritual  strength 
in  all  its  austerity  is  being  gained.  "Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  righteousness,"  said 
Jesus,  "and  all  these  things  shall  be  added 
unto  you"  (Matt.  6:  7,7,).  It  is  a  great 
mistake  to  suppose  that  the  development  of 
spirituality  disqualifies  one  for  worldly 
work. 

Furthermore  the  Psalmist  declares,  "what- 
soever he  doeth  shall  prosper."  Prosperity 
here  does  not  mean  attainment  of  worldly 
possessions.  The  man  of  God  cares  naught 
for  the  perishable  "treasures"  of  worldly 
life.  He  is  not  moved  by  gaining  or  losing 
them.  He  cares  only  for  spiritual  progress. 
If  the  spirit  prospers  in  Love  and  Truth,  his 
happiness  is  complete. 


1 82  Soul  Culture 

"Not  so  the  ungodly,  but  like  the  chaff 
which  the  wind  driveth  away,"  says  the 
Psalmist.  Worldly-minded  men  are  reck- 
less and  cannot  hope  for  the  fulfilment  of 
Love  or  Blessedness.  Their  works  in  search 
of  happiness  bring  them  no  happiness. 
They  may  be  likened  to  wind-tossed  chaff. 

"Therefore   the   ungodly   shall   not   stand   in    the 
judgment. 
Nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous." 

The  Master  means  that,  as  ungodliness  is  not 
steadfast  nor  established  in  Truth  and  Love, 
it  will  never  see  the  day  of  judgment  or  dis- 
cernment, which  is  the  great  spiritual  ex- 
perience known  to  the  Jivamnnktas  of  India 
as  dtma  darsanam  (appearance  of  the  spirit) , 
and  to  the  Jivanmuktas  of  J\idea  as  the  Com- 
ing of  Christ.  And  for  want  of  such  know- 
ledge the  sinful  spirit,  which  stands  estranged 
from  God,  cannot  be  with  sanctified  spirits. 

"For  the  Lord  knoweth  the  wa}^  of  the  righteous 
But  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish." 

It  is  impossible  to  deceive  God.  He  knows 
who    is    righteous    and    who    is    not.      Being 


The  Psalmists  183 

omniscient,  he  never  allows  the  ungodly 
spirit  of  error  to  thwart  the  efforts  of  the 
meditative  soul  to  attain  by  Isolation,  Alone- 
ness,  or  Sanctification  the  highest  form  of 
happiness,  viz.,  Blessedness. 

The  second  Psalm  is  also  the  outpouring 
of  a  Jndni.  It  continues  the  ideas  begun  in 
the  first  Psalm.  After  describing  the  ways  of 
those  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness,—  who  in  India  are  called  Mutiiukslms 
or  seekers  of  freedom  from  the  entangle- 
ments of  worldliness,  —  the  Anointed  One 
of  the  Lord  —  called  in  India  Jndni  or  Jivan- 
mukta  —  proceeds  to  explain  how  the  spirit 
of  error  makes,  in  this  freedom-loving  state 
of  the  soul,  one  final  and  great  attempt  to 
keep  it  within  its  captivity,  urging  the  minis- 
ters of  the  soul  not  to  go  with  the  soul  into  the 
path  pointed  out  by  the  Sacred  Teacher,  but 
to  rebel  against  him  and  the  Lord  who  sent 
him.  It  is  further  explained  that  such  re- 
bellion will  be  vain,  and  the  Psalmist  ccn- 
cludes  his  inexpressibly  sweet  song  by  an 
exhortation  to  the  ministers  of  the  souj  to 


184  Soul  Culture 

stand  by  and  serve  the  soul  trul}'-  in  fear  of 
the   invincible   power  of  the   Lord.     Let   us 
consider  the  Psalm  in  some  detail. 
The  jfirst  verse  is,  — 

"Why  do  the  heathen  rage 
And  the  people  imagine  a  vain  thing?" 

The  Hebrew  word  goiim,  rendered  in  Greek 
as  ethne,  and  in  English  as  gentiles  and  hea- 
then,  stands  for  the  beings  that  delight  in  the 
heath  or  jungle  of  lawlessness.  The}^  hate 
the  commandments  of  the  Lord  laid  down 
for  the  guidance  of  the  spirit.  They  are 
the  essence  of  carnality,  which,  inhering 
in  the  instruments  of  knowledge  and  action 
of  the  soul,  leads  them  into  the  sensuous  side 
of  life,  into  unspiritual  ways. 

"Why  do  the  heathen  rage?"  Why  is 
the  corrupt  spirit  in  a  state  of  great  excite- 
ment? The  answer  is,  because  the  Anointed 
Teacher  or  Jndna  Guru  has  come  to  explain 
to  the  Mumukshu,  or  seeker  of  Freedom,  that 
he  shoiild  be  on  his  guard  against  it,  an  utter 
heathen. 


The  Psalmists  185 

"Why  do  the  people  imagine  a  vain 
thing?"  The  people  are  the  ministers  of  the 
soul  created  out  of  cosmic  stuff  or  flesh  and 
given  to  the  soul  to  help  it  in  its  career  from 
darkness  to  Light.  Being  creatures  of  flesh, 
these  ministers  have  a  natural  tendency  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  darkness,  and  are  there- 
fore called  "his  strong  ones"  in  Psalm  x:  10. 
It  is  by  means  of  these  powerful  ministers 
that  the  spirit  of  error  consummates  its  work 
of  darkness  or  evil.  In  Psalm  xii:  4  the 
Psalmist  speaks  of  them  as  saying,  "With 
our  tongue  we  shall  prevail,  our  lips  are  our 
own,  who  is  Lord  over  us?"  Their  habit 
is  to  "puff"  at  the  Lord  (ib.  5). 

Knowing  that  the  Jndna  Guru  has  arrived, 
and  that  the  days  of  Corruption  and  its 
"strong  ones"  are  on  the  decline,  they  in- 
dulge in  idle  and  futile  schemes.  It  is  a 
fact  within  the  experience  of  Mumukshus 
that,  when  they  are  under  the  instruction  of 
the  Jndna  Guru,  the  question  often  arises 
in  their  minds,  Is  it  really  necessary  to  thus 
develop  the  fire  of  austerity  in  us?     Is  there 


i86  Soul  Culture 

no  other  way  of  attaining  God  ?  The  Psalm- 
ist declares  in  the  second  verse  that  such 
doubts  are  the  creations  of  the  spirit  of 
Error  or  Corruption.     It  runs  as  follows:  — 

"The  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves, 
And  the  rulers  take  counsel  together 
Against  the  Lord  and  his  Anointed,  saying 
Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder 
And  cast  away  their  cords  from  us." 

The  kings  of  the  earth  are  the  rudiments 
(Col.  ii:  8)  or  elements  (Gal.  iv:  3)  of  the 
flesh  which  hold  the  soul  in  captivity  (Gal. 
v:  y).  Because  these  powers  of  the  earth 
or  flesh  dominate  the  soul,  they  are  called  the 
"kings  of  the  earth"  or  earthly  kings.  In 
Matt,  xxiv:  30,  Jesus  spoke  of  them  as  the 
"tribes  of  the  earth."  Keenly  alive  to  the 
critical  state  of  affairs,  upon  the  appearance 
of  the  Anointed  Teacher  they  draw  them- 
selves together  resolutely,  and  work  insidi- 
ously within  the  reason  and  will  of  the 
seeking  spirit.  They  conspire  against  God 
and  him  who  was  sanctified  and  sent  into 
the  world  (John  x:  36)  to  reclaim  the  seeker 


The  Psalmists  187 

of  freedom,  saying,  "Now  that  they  are  going 
to  bind  us  by  their  cords  of  fire,  we  shall  soon 
be  consumed  like  fagots.  Let  us  make  one 
final  effort  to  throw  away  these  bonds  and 
escape  with  the  soul,  who  is  wavering  in 
loyalty  to  us." 

The  assurance  of  the  Psalmist  given  in 
verses  4  and  5  is  that  God  who  lies  unseen 
in  the  heart  smiles  at  their  folly,  for  who  can 
resist  His  omnipotence?  He  will  manifest 
himself  as  a  Consuming  Fire  (Deut.  v:  24; 
Jer.  xxiii:  29;  Luke  xii:  49;  Heb.  xii:  29) 
and  bum  up  the  cords  of  captivity,  saying 
to  them  (verse  6):  "Ye,  powers  of  darkness, 
fancy  that  ye  are  kings,  but  now  learn  the 
truth  that  the  king  in  the  body  is  the  spirit ; 
that  the  senses,  the  faculties  of  thought  and 
speech  and  all  other  instruments  which  I 
have  placed  in  the  body  are  the  subjects  of 
that  king;  that  the  spirit  whom  I  have 
anointed  with  my  grace  shall  for  ever  be  in 
fellowship  with  me  in  the  holy  state  called 
Zion." 

Then   the   Anointed   Psalmist   declares   in 


1 88  Soul  Culture 

verses  7-9  what  the  plan  of  God's  salvation 
is,  as  revealed  to  him  in  spiritual  communion. 
It  is  his  design  and  will  that  the  spirit  in  the 
body  shall  one  day  attain  the  holy  state 
called  Christhood  or  Sonship  of  God ;  that  that 
day  shall  be  known  as  that  of  the  re-birth  of 
the  spirit ;  that  such  re-birth  shall  be  prayed 
for  in  all  earnestness ;  that  the  Lord  shall  then 
graciously  overcome  the  corrupt  power  which 
holds  the  spirit  in  captivity  and  shall  endow 
the  righteous  spirit  with  sufficient  strength 
to  dissipate  the  machinations  of  corruption 
and  remain  in  purity  for  ever. 

In  verses  10-12  the  Sanctified  Psalmist 
exhorts  the  powers  of  darkness,  which  had 
dominated  the  spirit,  to  behave  with  pru- 
dence and  never  to  assume  the  role  of  kings 
in  respect  of  the  spirit  hungering  for  right- 
eousness, but  to  do  homage  to  it,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  it  put  its  trust  in  the 
Anointed  Teacher  and  in  God  who  has  sent 
him  to  such  spirit. 

The  first  two  Psalms  are  the  utterances  of 
a  Jndna  Guru.     The  third  is  the  song  of  a 


The  Psalmists  189 

Mumukshu,    striving    hard    to    obtain    union 
with  the  Lord. 

Meditating  upon  the  eternal  truth  that 
all  power  belongeth  to  the  Lord  (Ps.  Ixii:  11) 
and  earnestly  endeavouring  to  realise  the  doc- 
trine of  self-surrender  taught  in  the  prayer 
"Thine  is  the  kingdom,  thine  the  power, 
and  thine  the  glory  for  ever,"  the  Mum- 
ukshu sits  in  yoga  or  spiritual  communion 
and  endeavours  to  dismiss  from  his  con- 
sciousness the  memories  of  the  worldly  life 
which  revolve  on  the  pivots  called  "I"  and 
"mine."  Do  what  he  may  to  forsake  these 
conceits  and  the  thoughts  that  are  linked  to 
them,  they  creep  in  and  hold  him  fast  to  the 
things  of  the  earth.  He  shakes  off  one  coil 
of  thought  only  to  find  himself  entangled  in 
another.  Though  no  longer  running  after  the 
vain  shows  of  the  world,  the  spirit  is  still  over- 
laid with  worldly  desire,  and  its  bifurcations 
called  like  and  dislike  are  the  subtle  forms  on 
which  memories  and  expectations  thrive.  It 
is  in  this  helpless  state  of  entanglement  that 
the  seeker  after  God  sang  the  third  Psalm. 


I  go  Soul  Culture 

"How  are  they  increased  that  trouble  me, 
Many  are  they  that  rise  up  against  me, 
Many  which  say  of  my  soul 
There  is  no  help  for  him  in  God. " 

This  may  be  rendered  as  follows:  When 
I  sit  in  silence  for  spiritual  communion  with 
Thee,  O  Lord,  how  thickly  do  thoughts 
crowd  around  me,  how  incessantly,  how  act- 
ively (Ps.  xxxviii;  19)  do  worldly  memories 
and  hopes,  which  I  believed  were  dead  and 
buried  long  ago,  disturb  the  quiet  of  my  soul. 
I  appeal  to  thee  to  blot  out  my  transgressions 
or  vagrant  thoughts  (Ps.  li:  i).  The  corrupt 
spirit,  which  beats  up  such  thoughts,  taunts 
me,  saying,  "Your  God  will  not  help  you. 
Why  do  you  struggle  against  me?  Why  do 
you  not  continue  to  delight  in  things  worldly 
as  of  yore?" 

"But  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  a  shield  for  me. 
My  glory  and  the  lifter  up  of  mine  head. 
I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my  voice 
And  he  heard  me  out  of  his  holy  hill." 

Which  means:  Thou,  0  Lord,  art  my  pro- 
tector, strong  enough  to  cast  down  my  cap- 
tors; my   illuminer  in   the   sea  of  darkness; 


The  Psalmists  191 

the  sustainer  of  my  spirit,  not  letting  it  be 
drowned  in  the  struggle  against  the  waves 
of  thought.  O  brother  seekers,  in  dire  dis- 
tress I  cried  to  the  Lord  for  help  and  his  grace 
flowed  into  me  from  within  my  inmost  being. 

"I  laid  me  down  and  slept, 
I  awaked,  for  the  Lord  sustained  me. 
I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten  thousands  of  people 
That  have  set  themselves  against  me  round  about." 

Which  means:  Hear,  O  brother  seekers;  my 
prayer  was  answered,  for  I  was  not  dis- 
turbed in  spiritual  communion.  My  thoughts 
calmed  down  and  I  was  in  comparative 
peace,  with  the  Lord's  help.  It  matters  not 
how  many  thoughts  arise  again,  for  so  long 
as  the  Lord  sustains  me  in  all  mercy,  I  know 
I  shall  have  strength  to  keep  them  down. 

"Arise,  O  Lord,  save  me,  O  my  God, 
For  thou  hast  smitten  all   my  enemies  upon  the 

cheek  bone. 
Thou  hast  broken  the  teeth  of  the  ungodly. 
Thy  blessing  is  upon  thy  people." 

Which  means:  Do  not,  O  Lord,  let  me  re- 
main   long    in   the   antechambers,  but  draw 


192  Soul  Culture 

me  unto  Thyself  into  the  Holy  of  Holies. 
Save  me  altogether  from  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness. Thou  hast  reduced  almost  to  naught 
its  hold  of  me.  It  is  Thine  now  to  wholly 
save  Thy  seekers  and  grant  them  the  fulness 
of  bliss. 

Abatement  of  thought  and  wakefulness  in 
spiritual  communion  secure  for  the  soul  the 
greatest  of  all  blessings,  called  Stillness  or 
Peace.  It  is  assuredly  the  greatest  blessing, 
for  in  stillness  alone  does  the  Soul  know  God. 
Clear  space  or  sky  cannot  be  seen  when  a 
dust  storm  is  blowing.  Neither  can  the  Soul 
know  God,  who  is  the  substrate  of  all  nature, 
when  a  cloud  of  thoughts  rises  and  envelopes 
the  Soul,  and  prevents  it  from  seeing  itself, 
or  God  who  is  in  it.  Therefore  has  the  Lord 
said,  "Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God" 
(Ps.  xlvi;  10),  meaning,  if  you  be  still,  then 
will  you  know  that  "I  AM"  is  God.  If  you 
admit  your  insufficiency  for  yourself,  if  you 
feel  that  you  are  indeed  weak  and  need  His 
Power,  he  will  help  you  to  overcome  your 
worldly  thoughts  and  other  troubles  of  life. 


The  Psalmists  193 

'They  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble 
And  He  bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses. 
He  maketh  a  storm  a  calm, 
So  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still. 
Then  are  they  glad  because  they  be  quiet; 
So    He    bringeth    them    unto    their    desired 
haven."  —  Ps.  cvii:  28-30. 

This  will  suffice  to  show  the  priceless 
strata  of  spiritual  thought  which  lies  em- 
bedded in  the  Psalms.  They  are  full  of  the 
actual  experiences  of  either  seekers  of  God, 
or  those  who  have  sought  and  found  God. 
These  hymns  in  the  Old  Testament  attest, 
over  and  over  again  and  in  words  of  highest 
assurance,  the  great  and  mysterious  fact 
that,  when  the  soul,  tired  of  the  domination 
of  corruption,  finds  itself  utterly  unable  to 
overcome  it  and  appeals  to  God  as  the  only 
power  that  can  help  it,  God  does  in  truth 
respond  to  the  prayer  and  make  the  soul 
free  from  such  corruption,  and  king  of  its 
own  ministers  of  knowledge  and  action. 

This  kingship  of  the  spirit  over  the  flesh 
by  the  grace  of  God,  —  this  overthrow  of 
impurity    and    attainment    of   independence 


1 94  Soul  Culture 

by  the  spirit  that  hungers  for  it,  —  is  the 
Crown  of  Life  (James  i:  12)  on  earth,  which 
every  one  who  knows  the  value  of  birth 
should  labour  for.  The  Psalms  are  truly  the 
highest  teaching  of  the  Old  Testament.  It 
is  time  to  consider  the  doctrines  set  forth  in 
the  books  of  the  New  Testament. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ON  THE  PRACTICAL  NATURE  OF  THE 
DOCTRINES    OF   JESUS,  AS  RE- 
GARDS THE    CONVERSION 
OF    SELF-LOVE  INTO 
PERFECT  LOVE 


»95 


The   "good  Shepherd"   and  his  "sheep"   are  the 

True   Teacher    and  the    spiritually-minded   ripe 

for  instruction, 

Christ  in  what  sense  "King"  and  "royal  Priest." 

Proper  function  of  Christ,  to  draw  qualified  souls 

near  unto  God;  to  show  the  way  to  God. 
Doctrines  of  Jesus  not  his  own,  but  God's. 
Principles  of  Spiritual  Life  how  discovered. 
Revelation   of  God  in   deep   spiritual  communion. 
God  is  illuminer,  and    Apostles    are    the    illu- 
mined. 
Apostolic   knowledge   is   actual    knowledge    of 
God  as  distinguished  from  hearsay  knowledge 
or  inferential  knowledge  gathered  by  study 
of  nature. 
Difference  between   spiritual  and  worldly  ex- 
perience. 
God  and  Apostle  as  Father  and  Son  in  fellow- 
ship. 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  delivered  to  the  spiritually- 
minded,  who  feel  the  desecration  of  unrest  and  the 
want  of  something  higher  than  the  world  can  give. 
Souls    who    delight    in    unrest    or    excitement 

cannot  understand  the  sermon. 
Likes  and  dislikes,  worldly  hopes  and  fears,  the 

cause  of  unrest  and  sorrow. 
Our  thoughts  are  our  burdens. 

The  past,  the  present,  and  the  future,  as 
regards  perishable  things,  are  the  three 
fagots  of  thought  destined  to  be  gradu- 
ally consumed  by  the  fire  of  spiritual 


196 


knowledge,    when    the    end    for   which 
they  were  collected  has  been   fulfilled. 
Perfection  of  spiritual  growth  and  conquest  of  care 
and  sorrow,  the  great  theme  of  the  Sermon. 
Necessity  for  changing  old  modes  of  thought 
centred  in  attachments  to  perishable  things 
and  fleeting  pleasures,   for  right  modes   of 
thought  centred  in  imperishable  things. 
Doctrine  of   Repentance   or   turning  of  mind 
from  worldliness  to  Godliness,  the  prologue 
to  the  sermon. 
Worldly  Hfe  is  preparation  for  knowledge  of  God 

as  Infinite  Love. 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  a  series  of  lessons  on 
soul  culture. 

Difference    between    soul  culture    and    mind 

culture. 
First  lesson  in  soul  culture  relates  to  Spiritual 
Love. 

The    parent  of   Spiritual    Love    is   neigh- 
bourly love. 
And  neighbourly  love  is  born  of  sex  love. 
Gradations  of  neighbourly  love. 
Highest  grade  of  such  love  called  phil- 
anthropy. 
Spiritual   love   is  higher  even   than   phil- 
anthropy, because  enemies  and  friends 
are  loved  alike  by  the  spiritual  man. 
Such  unbounded  love  necessary  "that 
ye    may   be    the    children    of   your 
Father"   (Matt,   v:  43). 


197 


Impossibility   of   becoming  a  Son  of 

God  without  infinite  love. 
To  love  others  because  they  love  us 
is  only  a  type  of  self-love. 
Spirit  or  Soul  is  that  which  loves. 

Corruption    or    Folly    is    that    which 

hates  and  frets  and  worries. 
To  be  spiritual,  the  spirit  must  go  on 
loving  to  the  end,  no  matter  what 
others  do  (John  xiii:  i)  . 
Must  increase  more  and  more  in  love 
(I  Thes.  iv:  9,  10). 
Growth  in  love  is  growth  in  spirit. 

Three     stages     of     spiritual     growth 
{helikia,  Eph.  iv:  13). 
Perfect  (spiritual)  love  is  always  associated 
with  fulness  of  joy,  called  blessedness. 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  the  gospel  of  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Perfect  Spirit  or  Christ  in  man  (Eph. 

iv:  13)- 

Mere   intellectual   education   cannot   build   up 
this     Perfection     of     Love     in     the     human 
heart. 
Other  methods  necessary  for  discarding  carnal 
mindedness  and  acquiring  spiritual  minded- 
ness. 
Intellect  must  be  established  on  the  spirit. 
The  principles  of  spiritual  unfoldment  are  different 
from  principles  of  worldly  hfe,  and  are  intended 
only  for  those  spiritually  grown. 


198 


The  aim  of  laws  and  customs  of  worldly  life 
being  the  suppression  of  the  element  of 
selfishness  in  love,  so  that  Love  itself  may 
not  be  choked,  Apostles  of  God  do  not  inter- 
fere with  worldly  injunctions  given  by  legis- 
lators, judges,  sectarian  teachers  of  religions, 
and    social   leaders. 

The  teachings  of  Apostles  are  only  for  those 
who  are  not  satisfied  with  their  own  teachers. 
"I  am  not  come  to  destroy  the  Law  or  the 
Prophets"  (Matt,  v:  17). 

God's  "drawing"  of  the  spiritually-minded  to 
Himself  through  his  Apostles  (John  vi :  44, 45) . 

"Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs  " 
(Matt,  vii:  6). 
The     Spiritually   grown,    as   enumerated    by   Jesus 
(Matt,   v:  3-1 1)    are, 

1.  The  poor  in  spirit. 

Meaning  of   "poverty  of  spirit." 

2.  They  that  mourn. 

Meaning    of    "mourning." 

3.  The  meek. 

Meaning   of    "the   meek." 
Meaning  of  "inheriting  the  earth." 

4.  They  who  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteous- 
ness. 

Meaning  of  "righteousness." 

In  what  way  they  will  be  "  filled." 

5.  They  who  are  persecuted  for  righteousness 
sake. 

Steadfast  love  for  righteousness. 


199 


6.  The  merciful. 

Meaning  of  mercy  of  man  and  mercy  of 
God. 

7.  The  pure  in  heart. 

8.  The  peace-makers. 

Necessity  for  pacifying  one's  own  mind, 

so  as  to  attain  the  Stillness  which  the 

Psalmist   spoke   of.     It   is   essential   to 

knowing  God  in  Spiritual  Communion. 

St.  Paul  on  "casting  down  imaginations" 

(II  Corx:  5). 
Without  abatement  of  thought  and  wake- 
fulness   in    spiritual    communion,    the 
"Peace    that    passeth    understanding" 
(Phil,  iv:    17)     cannot    be    reached    in 
actual  experience. 
Peace,    derived    from  Lat.  pax,  pacts,  is 
same    as   paksha   in    Sanskrit,   meaning 
Love. 
Peace-making  or  the  art  of  making  Per- 
fect Love,  in  what  way  to  be  compared 
with  the  art  of  making  butter. 
The  final  achievement  of  the  art  of  making  Peace 
is  the  emergence  of  the  long  hidden  soul  from  the 
heart  as  Infinite  Love  called  Christ  or  Son  of 
God. 
Jesus'  exposition  of  the  signs  of  the  "coming"  or 
appearance  of  Christ,   and   of  the   "end  of  the 
world"  (Matt.  xxiv:). 

These  are  matters  of  inner  experience  in  spirit- 
ual communion,  not  objective  phenomena. 


Why  the  appearance  of  Christ  or  the  Perfected 
Soul  should  be  called  the  second  birth  of 
the   soul. 

Its  "first  birth"  was  its  "fall"  into  world- 

liness. 
It  is  "quickened"   by  hearing  the  word 

of  God. 
Its  "second  birth"  is  its  "rise"  to  Godli- 
ness. 


30X 


ON  THE   PRACTICAL  NATURE  OF  THE 

DOCTRINES  OF  JESUS,  AS  REGARDS 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  SELF  LOVE 

INTO    PERFECT    LOVE 

When  Jesus  heard  that  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees  had  excommunicated  the  man 
whom  he  had  cured  of  bUndness,  he  gra- 
ciously sought  him  out  and  consoled  him  with 
the  truth  that  the  restoration  of  his  sight 
came  from  God  through  his  Son,  and  that 
that  Son  was  himself.  "For  (granting)  dis- 
cernment (krinta),"  said  he,  "I  am  come  into 
this  world,  that  they  who  see  not  might  see, 
and  they  who  see  might  be  made  blind." 
Some  of  the,  Jews  heard  these  words  and 
remarked,  "Are  we  blind  also?"  (John  ix: 
35-40).  Then  he  delivered  the  parable  of 
the  good  Shepherd  and  the  sheep  who  hear 
his  voice,  which  they  did  not  understand. 
The  good  Shepherd  is  the  True  Teacher  from 
God  whom  only  the  spiritually-minded  can 
203 


204  Soul  Culture 

understand;  the  bad  shepherds  are  worldly- 
minded  teachers  who  expound  religions 
wrongly,  and  so  mislead  their  hearers;  and 
True  Teachers  (or  Apostles)  are  sent  into  the 
world  to  help  not  only  those  who,  caring 
naught  for  sensuous  enjoyments,  are  worthy 
of  spiritual  knowledge,  but  also  those  who, 
in  spite  of  their  fondness  for  dogma  and 
ritual,  deserve  to  know  the  truth  that 
intellectual  satisfaction  with  creeds  and 
apologetics  will  not  give  them  the  spiritual 
discernment  needed  for  realising  God  in 
their  hearts  as  an  uplifting,  joyous,  and 
supremely  pacific  Power. 

Sometime  afterwards,  seeing  Jesus  at  the 
porch  of  the  temple  of  Solomon,  the  Phari- 
sees gathered  round  him  and  said,  "If  thou 
be  Christ,  tell  us  plainly."  He  replied,  "I 
told  you,  and  ye  believed  not;  ...  ye 
believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep, 
.  ,  .  My  sheep  hear  my  voice  and  follow  me'' 
(John  x:  24-27).  They  understood  him  to 
say  that  he  was  Christ,  and  that  they  were 
not  spiritually-minded  enough   to  recognise 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  205 

him  as  such.  He  added,  "I  and  my  Father 
are  one."  The  Jews  took  this  for  blasphemy 
and  picked  up  stones  to  hurt  him.  He  then 
reminded  them  of  the  saying  in  the  Psalms 
(Ixxxii:  6),  "Ye  are  gods,  and  all  of  you  are 
children  of  the  Most  High,"  and  said,  "Say 
ye  of  him  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified 
and  sent  into  the  world  'thou  blasphemeth,' 
because  I  said  I  am  a  Son  of  God"  (John  x: 
36).  He  meant  that  their  conception  of 
Christ  or  Son  of  God  did  not  accord  with 
their  Scriptures,  nor  with  spiritual  experi- 
ences, for  Sons  of  God  were  men  whose 
spirits  had  attained  sanctification,  and  whose 
work  in  the  world  was  to  teach  the  truths 
relating  to  spiritual  development. 

And  when  the  Jews  led  him  before  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  the  Roman  governor  of  Judasa, 
upon  the  false  charge  that  he  posed  as  King 
of  the  Jews,  he  explained,  "My  Kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world.  If  my  Kingdom  was  of 
this  world,  then  would  my  servants  fight 
that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews. 
But  now  my  Kingdom  is  not  hence."     Pilate 


2o6  Soul  Culture 

rejoined,  "Art  thou  then  a  King?"  Jesus 
owned  the  title  in  these  words:  "Thou  sayest 
that  /  ayn  a  King.  To  this  end  was  I  born; 
and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world, 
namely,  that  I  should  bear  ivitncss  tinto  the 
truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth 
my  voice"  (John    xviii:  33-37). 

The  investment  of  every  spirit  with  a 
human  body  in  this  world  was  ordained  by 
God  in  order  that  the  spirit  may  rise  from 
its  condition  of  subjection  to  folly  or  corrup- 
tion and  become  a  King,  not  in  the  sense  of 
a  ruler  of  extensive  square  miles  of  earth, 
nor  a  ruler  of  people  attached  to  the  things 
of  the  earth,  but  in  the  sense  of  being  in- 
dependent  of  the  restless  selfishness  and  greed 
for  gratification  which  torment  the  spirit. 
When  freed  altogether  from  the  beggarly 
elements  of  corruption,  the  spirit  is  said  to 
be  sanctified;  and  it  is  then  fit  to  teach  those 
who  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteousness  and 
peace.  The  spirit  thus  qualified  to  teach 
the  doctrine  and  practices  necessary  for  sanc- 
tification  is  called  an  Apostle  of  God  or  one 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  207 

sent  into  the  world  to  bear  witness  unto  the 
truth;  and  the  spirits  ripe  for  hearing  and 
understanding  such  principles  are  the  sheep 
who  hear  the  voice  of  the  teacher,  and  follow 
him  with  cheerfulness  and  one-minded  devo- 
tion. They  understand  and  obey  the 
Apostle.  He  is  their  "good  shepherd,"  a 
veritable  "king"  unto  them,  their  Lord 
(kurios)  and  Teacher  (didaskalos)  (John 
xiii:  13),  belonging  to  "a  royal  priesthood," 
chosen  to  "shew  forth  the  praises  of  him 
who  has  called  you  (the  seekers)  out  of  dark- 
ness into  light"  (I  Pet.  ii:  9). 

The  "royal  priesthood"  referred  to  by 
St.  Peter  was  the  high  spiritual  status  at- 
tained for  the  first  time  in  Judaea  by  King 
Melchisedek,  of  Salem,  to  whom  Abraham 
paid  tithe  and  received  from  him  a  blessing. 
It  is  recorded  in  Gen.  xiv:  18,  19  that  Mel- 
chisedek was  a  priest  of  "the  Most  High 
God."  The  body  or  flesh  cannot  be  priest. 
It  is  the  spirit  that  quickens  by  the  grace  of 
God,  and  grows  to  its  fullest  maturity  or  per- 
fection  in  love  and  light;    and  it  is  such  a 


2o8  Soul  Culture 

perfect  spirit  that  is  called  Christ.  St.  Paul 
speaks  of  Jesus  as  "made  an  high  priest  for- 
ever after  the  order  of  Mclchiscdck  (Heb.  v: 
lo);  that  is,  the  spirit  in  Jesus  and  the  spirit 
in  Melchisedek  belong  to  the  same  high-priest- 
hood of  God,  because  of  their  perfection. 
And  in  the  same  epistle  (vii:  2,  3)  St.  Paul 
says  Melchisedek  is  the  King  of  Righteous- 
ness and  of  Peace,  without  father,  without 
mother,  without  descent,  having  neither  be- 
ginning of  days  nor  end  of  life,  but  made  of 
the  image  {aphdmoiomenos)  as  a  son  of  God: 
meaning,  that  the  spirit  in  Melchisedek  is 
pacific,  aboriginal,  and  eternal.  And  then 
St.  Paul  declares  once  more  in  emphatic 
language  that  Jesus  is  another  priest  after 
the  similitude  {kata  ten  homoioteta)  of  Mel- 
chisedek (ib.  vii:  15):  meaning,  that  the 
spirit  in  Jesus  is  not  the  same  as  the  spirit 
in  Melchisedek,  but  similar  to  it,  being  pacific, 
aboriginal,  and  eternal.  Even  so,  in  Psalms 
ii:  7  and  ex:  1,4,  we  hear  the  Psalmist  pro- 
claiming to  those  who  have  ears  to  hear,  not 
only  his  own  attainment  of  Christhood,  but 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  209 

also    the    general    ordaininent    of    God  that 
he  who  strives  for  perfection  shall  attain  it 
and  be  for  ever   a   priest    (Heb.  cohen,   Gr. 
hiereus)  that  is,  a  drawer  of  qualified  spirits 
near    to    God,     Hence    the    famous    sayings 
that  Christ  shows  the  way  to  God  and  is  the 
Way  to   God.     St.   Paul  referred,  in   Gal.   i: 
1-16,  to   his  own  attainment   of  Christhood, 
called     also     the     Resurrection     from     the 
Dead   (Col.    i:   18).     He  said  he  had  "many 
things  to  say  and  hard  to  be  uttered"  of  the 
order  of  Melchisedek  or  the  King  of  Right- 
eousness, but  that  the  Hebrews  were  dull  of 
hearing   and   were  not   grown  in  spirit  suffi- 
ciently to  understand  the  doctrine  relating  to 
the    beginning    of    the    formation    of    Christ 
(logos  tes  arches  ton  Christon)  (Heb.  v:   11-14; 
Gal.    iv:    19).     He    particularly    warned    all 
the  brethren  in  Christ  to  avoid  foolish  ques- 
tions regarding  the  genealogy  of  Christ  (Titus 
iii:  9;  I  Tim.  i:  4),  for  Christ  being  spirit  has 
no  genealogy. 

The    texts  quoted    from  the    Old  and  the 
New   Testament    (Gen.    xiv:  18,    19;    Ps.    ii; 


2IO  Soul  Culture 

7  and  ex:  i,  4;  Heb.  v:  11-14;  ib.  vii:  15; 
Gal.  i:  i,  16,  etc.)  have  proved  a  stumbling- 
block  to  those  who  are  wedded  to  the  be- 
lief there  is  only  one  Christ  for  all  time  in  the 
Universe,  and  that  that  Christ  is  Jesus.  It 
has  been  already  shown  in  Chapter  iv  that 
this  belief  is  not  consistent  with  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  or  Paul,  nor  with  the  actual 
experiences  of  the  Sanctified  Spirits  of  India, 
according  to  whom  Perfected  Spirits  in 
human  bodies  are  indeed  righteous  and  peace- 
ful and  without  parentage  or  genealogy, 
because  eternal  and  co-existent  with  God. 
God  is  in  every  spirit  and  every  spirit  is  in 
God  from  eternity.  The  spirit  that  is  in 
bondage  to  darkness  does  not  know  that  it 
lives  and  moves  in  God  (John  i :  5  ;  Acts  xvii : 
28);  but  the  spirit  that  has  been  freed  from 
darkness  has  full  knowledge  of  God,  and  they 
stand  in  the  relation  of  Son  and  Father  in  the 
sense  that  God  is  the  upholder  or  bearer  of 
the  spirit,  the  sower  of  it  in  the  body,  and  the 
gatherer  of  it  from  the  body.     • 

Jesus   taught   of   God    and   the    sanctified 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  211 

spirit  called  Christ,  as  all  Apostles,  urged  by- 
God,  have  taught  from  the  remotest  ages  to 
the  present  day.  "  I  do  nothing  of  myself, 
but  as  my  Father  has  taught  me  I  speak 
these  things"  (John  viii:  28).  God  reveals 
to  all  His  devoted  seekers  His  own  mysterious 
existence  within  the  spirit  after  graciously 
uncovering  the  spirit  itself  which  lies  myste- 
riously within  the  body  (Col.  i:  27;  ii :  2), 
so  that  in  spiritual  communion  the  risen 
spirit  knows  itself  and  God  who  is  within  it. 
It  is  then  able  to  teach  other  seeking  spirits 
how  to  attain  God.  Such  teachers  are  the 
Apostles  of  God.  They  speak  from  personal 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  God.  "Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,"  said  Jesus,  "we 
speak  what  we  do  know"  (John  iii;   n). 

This  actual  knowledge  of  the  soul  and  God 
is  spiritual  experience,  as  distinguished  from 
worldly  experience.  The  latter  consists  of 
the  reports  of  the  senses  and  the  correlation 
of  sense  perceptions;  but  the  former  relates 
to  that  which  the  senses  cannot  perceive,  not 
even  with  the  aid  of  the  telescope  and  micro- 


212  Soul  Culture 

scope.  The  scanning  of  the  sky,  the  air,  the 
fire,  the  water,  and  land  cannot  reveal  God 
or  the  Soul,  but  when  the  soul,  isolating  it- 
self by  degrees  from  sense  perceptions  and 
the  agitations  of  thought,  enters  in  spiritual 
communion  the  holy  state  called  Peace,  it 
knows  itself  to  be  something  different  from 
the  senses  and  the  mind;  it  knows  itself  to 
be  Light  and  Love,  and  thereafter  knows  God 
as  the  Infinite  Substrate  of  all  life,  the  great 
Upholder  and  lUuminer  of  everything  that 
exists  in  the  Universe.  This  is  the  greatest 
of  all  discoveries,  the  discovery  of  God  in  the 
soul.  It  is  the  unveiling  of  the  profoundly 
mysterious  fact  expressed  by  the  formula 
"I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in  me" 
(John  xiv:  ii),  signifying  that  the  spirit, 
when  sanctified,  enters  into  fellowship  with 
God. 

The  Jews  among  whom  Jesus  laboured 
did  not  know  that  there  was  anything  beyond 
worldly  experience.  "Ye  do  not  receive 
our  testimony,"  said  he  to  them  (John  iii: 
ii).     They  were   crassly   ignorant  of  things 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  213 

spiritual.  He  tried  to  convince  them  by- 
other  arguments  that  eternal  life  or  actual 
knowledge  of  God  (John  xvii:  3)  was  attain- 
able by  learning  of  Sons  of  God  (ib.  v:  25). 
He  referred  to  the  testimony  of  John  the 
Baptist,  the  miraculous  powers  of  God 
entrusted  to  him,  and  the  texts  in  the  old 
Testament  that  bore  upon  the  coming  of  the 
Sanctified  in  Spirit,  and  added,  "Ye  will  not 
come  to  me  that  3'e  may  have  life.  I  know 
you.  Ye  have  not  the  love  of  God  in  you." 
Considering  the  course  of  events  since  the 
days  of  Jesus  and  the  manner  in  which  Christ- 
ian dogma  and  literature  have  grown,  it  is  a 
pardonable  error  on  the  part  of  Western 
Nations  to  aRcribe  to  Jesus,  and  Jesus  only, 
the  different  passages  in  the  Old  Testament 
which  announce  a  Messiah  for  man's  salva- 
tion. The  redemption  of  man  by  Infinite 
Mercy  went  on  for  aeons  before  Jesus  and 
will  go  on  for  seons  after  the  nations  that  de- 
light in  the  name  of  Jesus  have  passed  away. 
It  is  foolish  to  attempt  to  monopolise  God  or 
His   Apostles.     So  long   as   men   live   in   the 


214  Soul  Culture 

universe  God  will  continue  to  send  to  them 
His  Apostles,  as  occasion  demands,  of  His 
bounty.  What  are  called  Messianic  pro- 
phesies are  not  peculiar  to  the  Jews  but  come 
within  the  general  Divine  Law  of  the  "draw- 
ing" or  "calling"  of  the  Spirit  to  God,  which 
Jesus  so  frequently  taught  (John  vi:  44,  65; 
ib.  xii:  32;  Matt,  xxii:  14).  This  is  also 
known  as  the  choosing  of  the  qualified  spirits. 
"Hearken  my  beloved  brethren,"  said  St. 
James  (ii:  5),  "hath  not  God  chosen  the  poor 
of  this  world  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the 
Kingdom  which  he  hath  promised  to  them 
that  love  him?"  This  is  a  general  promise 
or  decree.  Such  is  the  bounty  of  God  from 
the  beginning  of  time  and  will  be  so  to  the 
end. 

Jesus,  who  had  attained  the  acme  of 
spiritual  maturity  called  Perfect  Love,  and 
who  thus  became  an  Apostle  of  God,  de- 
livered his  Sermon  on  the  Mount  to  his 
"sheep"  or  band  of  earnest  disciples,  in 
order  that  they  might  enter  the  same  holy 
state  of  Blessedness,  wherein  the  flesh  does 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  215 

not  war  against  the  spirit,  wherein  Peace  or 
Perfect  Rest  reigns. 

The  vast  majority  of  souls  do  not  care  for 
poise  or  rest:  they  dehght  in  excitement. 
The  wilder  it  is  the  more  "enjoyable"  is 
it  to  them.  Some  love  fight  and  blood- 
shed; some,  cruel  sport  and  fun;  some,  lewd- 
ness; some,  dances,  theatres,  shopping,  and 
tattle;  some,  mischief  and  practical  jokes; 
some,  loud  laughter,  brag,  and  bluster;  some, 
gay  dress,  dainty  meals,  and  useless  talk. 
They  are  all  carnally-minded;  and  their 
happiness  being  rooted  in  the  gratification 
of  the  senses  is  never  stable.  If  gratified 
the  senses  soon  crave  for  more;  and  if  not 
gratified  they  irritate.  In  this  way  the 
sensuous  pleasures  of  the  carnally-minded 
are  much  mixed  with  pain,  to  say  nothing  of 
their  grossness,  which  makes  the  ears  dull 
of  hearing  and  the  mind  incapable  of 
understanding  the  principles  of  true  life. 
It  is  not  given  them  to  know  the  higher 
forms  of  happiness  available  to  those  who 
despise    self-indulgence,    who    restrain    their 


2i6  Soul  Culture 

likes  and  dislikes  so  as  to  live  a  well-balanced 
life. 

But  persons  desiring  a  higher  life  are  often 
weighted  with  divers  cares.  Domestic  duties 
and  social  engagements  follow  one  another 
in  quick  succession,  leaving  no  time  or  peace 
of  mind  to  meditate  on  the  numerous  mercies 
of  God.  Earnest,  hard-working  parents 
have  often  to  think  of  the  waywardness  of 
their  children  and  of  the  constant  troubles 
which  some  of  them  create  in  the  household 
through  extravagance,  immorality,  or  other 
forms  of  reckless  conduct.  Many  dutiful 
wives  are  burdened  with  the  heartlessness 
of  their  husbands;  and  many  having  lived 
together  lovingly  for  years  suffer  the  pangs 
of  separation  from  them  by  death.  Old 
fathers  and  mothers,  who  had  generously 
spent  their  all  in  educating  and  establish- 
ing in  some  industry  their  children,  find 
themselves  unwelcomed  and  uncared .  for. 
Disease,  disappointments,  misfortune,  pov- 
erty, neglect  on  the  part  of  friends  and  rela- 
tions, and  insult  on  the  part  of  the  haughty 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  217 

and  the  shameless,  swell  the  bundle  of  cares. 
Bygone  memories,  present  conditions,  and 
future  prospects,  if  disagreeable,  bring 
wretchedness.  Under  the  weight  of  these 
three  bundles  of  thought  man  labours  heavily 
along  the  journey  of  life,  knowing  not  how 
to  be  rid  of  them.  Do  what  he  may,  he  can- 
not force  himself  from  them,  howsoever 
learned  he  may  be.  "How  glad  I  would  be 
if  I  could  wipe  out  the  past  and  cease  to  think 
of  the  future!"  he  says  to  himself.  "Even 
the  present  worries  me.  Is  there  no  peace 
on  earth  ?  Why  am  I  a  creature  of  hopes 
and  fears,  likes  and  dislikes,  a  thing  of  con- 
tradiction and  strife?  Why  am  I  tormented 
in  this  way?  Is  there  no  remedy  for  strife, 
for  sorrow,  and  for  fear  born  of  impending 
danger  or  trouble?" 

To  persons  who  have  found  that  their 
thoughts  are  not  themselves,  and  who  feel 
that  their  thoughts  are  tlieir  burdens,  Jesus 
said,  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labour  and 
are  heavily  laden,  and  I  shall  give  rest  unto 
you.     Learn  of  me  and  you  shall  find  rest 


2i8  Soul  Culture 

unto  your  souls"  (Matt,  xi:  28,  29).  His 
ministry  or  service  to  those  growing  in  spirit 
related  to  the  greatest  of  all  human  problems, 
namely,  the  conquest  of  care  and  sorrow. 
This  is  the  practical  value  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  to  "Western  Nations. 

He  began  his  ministry  with  the  Doctrine 
of  Repentance  (Matt,  iv:  17).  The  Greek 
word  nictanced,  rendered  repent,  signifies  in 
truth  to  change  one's  thoughts.  Jesus  meant 
that  the  sorrows  and  fears  of  man  were  due 
to  his  own  wrong  modes  of  thought,  and 
that,  if  he  changed  those  modes,  he  would 
attain  the  desired  freedom.  His  answer  to 
the  souls  who  longed  to  be  free  was  precisely 
the  same  as  that  given  by  other  Sanctified 
Teachers  in  India,  Judea,  and  other  places, 
viz.,  "  Tiirnyoxxv  thoughts  from  things  perish- 
able to  things  imperishable"  (Ps.  li:  10, 
Ixxxv:  4,  8;  I  Kings  viii:  47;  J^r.  xxv:  5, 
etc.).  It  is  usual  for  men  to  walk  after  the 
flesh  (II  Pet.  ii:  10);  to  try  the  ways  of  the 
flesh  first,  and  then  turn  to  the  Lord  (Lam. 
iii:  40).      It    is    only    after    experiencing   the 


Doctrines  oj  Jesus  219 

truth  that  "flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit" 
(Gal.  v:  17),  and  that  "he  who  soweth  to  the 
flesh  shall  reap  corruption"  (Gal.  vi:  8), 
that  the  mind  loses  faith  in  the  flesh  and  pro- 
ceeds to  abide  in  the  spirit.  Schools  and 
colleges  full  of  worldly  learning  create  in  the 
students  who  flock  to  them  the  belief  that 
the  vast  array  of  human  bodies  and  the 
houses,  shops,  and  parks,  which  together 
make  up  towns,  are  the  most  valuable  and 
permanent  treasures  of  a  country.  The 
youthful  learners,  knowing  nothing  of  the 
invisible  souls  in  bodies,  nor  of  the  require- 
ments of  souls,  nor  of  God  who  reigns 
throughout  the  universe,  fancy  their  bodies 
to  be  themselves,  their  likes  and  dislikes  to 
be  the  surest  motives  to  action,  and  the  law 
of  retaliation  to  be  the  most  proper  guide  to 
conduct  in  regard  to  others.  Mistaking  the 
flesh  and  its  cravings  for  the  spirit  and  its 
aspirations,  they  sow  to  the  flesh  and  reap 
abundant  harvests  of  trouble  and  sorrow. 
"No  flesh  shall  have  peace,"  said  Jeremiah 
(xii:  12).     It    is    full    of   strife    and    sorrow. 


2  20  Soul  Culture 

Therefore,  "Be  transformed,  by  the  renew- 
ing of  your  mind,"  said  St.  Paul  (Rom.  xii: 
2).  Turn  your  mind  from  worldliness  to 
Godliness,  from  selfish  love  to  perfect  love, 
so  that  you  may  be  as  blessed  as  God,  said 
Jesus. 

The  study  of  the  world  and  of  all  things 
of  the  flesh  in  it  befits  man  for  knowledge  of 
God  in  whom  there  is  no  strife,  because  He  is 
all  Love.  Those  who  crave  for  Peace  must 
grow  in  Love.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
is  a  series  of  lessons  on  Love  culture  or  Soul 
culture,  for  Love  is  another  word  for  Soul. 

Just  as  men  of  the  world,  in  imparting 
lessons  in  worldly  life,  lay  stress  on  body 
culture  and  mind  culture  as  necessary  for 
physical  and  mental  strength,  so  men  of  God, 
called  upon  to  lead  thoughtful  spirits  to  God, 
dwell  upon  soul  culture  as  necessary  for  the 
expansion  of  Love;  and  the  first  lesson  in  it 
is  about  Spiritual  Love,  which  is  not  sex 
love  or  animal  love.  The  love  of  one  spirit 
for  another  apart  from  sexhood,  color,  creed, 
or  country  is  the  beginning  of  spiritual  love. 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  221 

Its  parent  is  neighbourly  love,  which,  won- 
derful to  relate,  springs  from  sex  love.  A 
selfish  male,  be  he  man  or  animal,  consort- 
ing with  a  female,  finds  his  sense  of  differen- 
tiation lapsing  into  the  sense  of  unity.  Two 
human  beings  may  become  one  through  sex 
love,  and  all  the  progeny  born  of  their  loins 
also  become  one  with  them.  This  love  for 
one's  wife  and  children  is  neighbourly  love 
in  its  first  stage  of  growth.  Its  second  stage 
is  love  for  one's  castemen  or  cooperators. 
The  third  stage  is  love  for  fellow-townsmen; 
the  fourth  for  fellow-countrymen;  and  lastly 
for  man,  irrespective  of  country,  color,  or 
creed.  In  this  last  stage  neighbourly  love 
is  called  philanthropy,  which  is  the  beginning 
of  spiritual  love.  If  imwedded  persons  in 
this  life  have  neighbourly  love,  it  must  be 
considered  to  be  the  result  of  thoughtful 
experiences  in  past  lives  on  earth.  Higher 
than  philanthropy  is  spiritual  love,  because 
enemies  and  friends  alike  are  loved  by  the 
spiritual  man. 

Jesus  said,   "Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath 


22  2  Sotil  Culture 

been  said,  'Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  but 
hate  thine  enemy, '  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love 
your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you, 
that  yc  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father,  for 
He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the 
good  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  the 
unjust.  If  ye  love  them  which  love  you, 
what  reward  have  ye?  Do  not  even  the  pub- 
licans the  same?"  (Matt,  v:  43-47). 

It  is  indeed  the  work  of  selfish  love  to 
love  those  only  who  love  us.  To  love  others 
because  they  love  us  is  really  to  love  oneself. 
Self-love  is  common  to  animals  also.  Even 
centipedes,  crocodiles,  and  tigers  love  those 
of  their  species  which  love  them.  The  spirits 
in  human  bodies  must  do  more  than  those  in 
animal  bodies.  Human  beings  should  ex- 
pand self-love  into  neighbourly  love,  and 
neighbourly  love  into  spiritual  love,  by  lov- 
ing irrespectively  of  the  friendly  or  hostile 
moods  of  others.  Such  moods  are  passing 
phases  of  the  mind,  and  not  characteristics 
of  the  spirit.  God  is  Spirit,  God  is  Love. 
Therefore  Spirit  is   Love.      That  which    loves 


Doctrifies  of  Jesus  223 

is  Spirit.  That  which  hates  and  frets  is  not 
the  spirit,  but  the  corrupt  thing  called  Folly, 
which  stands  much  mixed  with  the  Spirit. 
If  love  is  to  be  Godly,  it  should  not  make 
mountains  of  the  manifestations  of  Folly; 
nor  should  it  be  misled  by  the  agreeable  and 
the  disagreeable,  the  pleasant  and  the  un- 
pleasant, because  such  sensations  are  of 
the  mind  and  not  of  the  spirit.  Howsoever 
agreeable  or  disagreeable  other  spirits  may 
make  themselves  in  their  foolishness,  the 
spirit  that  would  rise  above  animality  or 
carnality  should  not  treat  those  who  pose  as 
"enemies"  differently  from  those  who  pose 
as  "friends."  It  should  have  pity  for  spirits 
afflicted  by  bondage  to  Folly.  They  do  not 
know  the  perilous  consequences  of  that 
species  of  folly  called  hatemaking.  What- 
ever they  may  do,  we  must  go  on  loving  right 
through,  love  to  the  end  (John  xiii:  i).  He 
that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in  God,  for 
God  is  Love"   (I  John  iv:   16). 

Increase  more  and  more  in  brotherly  love, 
said  St.  Paul  (I  Thes.  iv:  9,  10).     Growth  in 


2  24  Soul  Culture 

spirit  is  growth  in  love.  Just  as  the  body 
has  a  growth  marked  by  different  character- 
istics and  denoted  by  the  terms  infanc3% 
youth,  middle  age,  and  old  age,  the  spirit 
has  a  growth  of  its  own,  which  St.  Paul 
speaks  of  as  helikia,  the  characteristics  of 
which  are  denoted  by  the  terms  self-love, 
neighbourly  love,  and  Perfect  Love. 

"That  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your 
Father,"  said  Jesus,  expand  neighbourly 
love  into  Perfect  Love  (Matt,  v:  45-48). 
"Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father 
in  heaven  is  perfect"  (v:  48).  Why  should 
the  perfection  or  full  growth  of  Love  be  the 
goal  of  all  human  endeavour  in  earthly  life? 
Because  God  is  Perfect  Love.  Love  and 
Joy  go  together.  The  greater  the  love,  the 
greater  the  joy;  fulness  of  love  is  fulness  of 
joy  (John  XV :  11;  xvii:  13)  and  fulness  of 
spiritual  joy  is  Blessedness.  Therefore  the 
last  verse  (48)  in  Matthew  v  stands  intimately 
linked  with  the  opening  verses  in  the  same 
chapter  which  deal  with  Blessedness,  the  high- 
est form  of  Happiness  known  in  the  Universe. 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  225 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  of  the  utmost 
practical  value  to  all  who  would  grow  in 
spirit,  grow  in  true,  durable  happiness.  It 
is  the  gospel  of  the  formation  of  the  Perfect 
Man  {aner  teleios),  or  Perfect  Spirit,  or  Son  of 
God,  or  Christ  (Eph.  iv:  13).  Mere  intellec- 
tual education  cannot  produce  this  fulness  of 
spiritual  growth,  because  the  intellect  or 
reason  is  only  an  instrument  of  the  soul,  and 
the  culture  of  this  instrument  will  not  of  it- 
self add  an  iota  of  righteousness  or  love  to 
the  soul.  Intellectual  improvement  does 
not  mean  spiritual  improvement.  It  is  only 
when  the  intellect  is  established  on  the  spirit 
that  it  is  really  helpful  to  it  in  its  growth. 
Carnal  mindedness  leads  the  spirit  worldward, 
but  spiritual  mindedness  leads  it  Godward. 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  a  marvellously 
beautiful  exposition  of  the  principles,  long 
held  secret  (Matt,  xiii:  35),  of  that  Infinite 
Love,  Light,  and  Joy  which  characterise 
God  when  standing  in  intimate  relation  with 
all  spirits  and  worlds,  and  which  he  merci- 
fully vouchsafes  to  those  who  would  labour 


2  26  Soul  Culture 

to  attain  his  image  or  likeness  in  those  re- 
spects, and  in  those  respects  only;  for  we 
cannot  be  like  him  in  power.  He  can 
create,  maintain,  and  destroy  worlds  and 
universes,  but  we  cannot  produce  even  a 
mineral  cell  or  a  snow  crystal  or  a  vegetable 
seed  or  a  blade  of  grass.  To  him  belongeth 
all  power  (Ps.  Ixii:  ii;  Matt,  vi:  13;  xxviii: 
18).  Even  the  little  power  of  movement, 
understanding,  and  construction  which  we 
possess  is  his.  It  has  all  been  lent  to  us 
(Matt.  XXV :   14—30). 

The  principles  that  relate  to  spiritual  un- 
foldment  and  spiritual  happiness  are  in 
many  ways  different  from  the  principles  of 
worldly  life,  or  the  ideals  and  practices  of 
communities  who  live  in  villages  and  towns 
for  social  and  industrial  purposes.  One  of 
these  ideals  is  to  go  to  church  on  Sunda^^s, 
and  worship  with  hands  and  other  bodily 
limbs,  standing,  sitting,  and  kneeling,  and 
uttering  set  formulas  of  speech.  Other 
duties  relate  to  the  feeding  and  dressing  of 
the  body,  the  amusement  of  the  mind,  the 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  227 

conciliation  of  friends,  the  care  of  the  church 
and  state,  and  the  acquisition  of  fame  and 
wealth.  National  laws  and  customs,  social 
rules,  home  observances,  and  all  other  regu- 
lations made  by  men  for  men  in  various 
spheres  of  activity  have  for  their  object  the 
promotion  of  considerate  thought,  good  will, 
and  peace.  They  are  limitations  put  upon 
those  who  would  otherwise  display  the  free- 
dom of  the  wild  ass,  and  seriously  injure 
themselves  and  others  with  whom  they 
hold  intercourse.  Godly  men  therefore  have 
great  respect  for  laws  and  customs.  They 
do  not  thrust  their  spiritual  doctrines  on 
those  who  are  satisfied  with  themselves  and 
their  surroundings.  Accordingly,  in  his  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount  Jesus  forbids  his  disciples 
to  urge  any  one  to  break  the  rules  of  the  order 
to  which  he  belongs.  "Think  not  that  I  am 
come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  Prophets," 
said  he,  "I  am  not  come  to  destroy  but  to 
fulfill"  (Matt,  v:  17).  The  injunctions  of 
lawgivers  are  intended  to  restrain  self-love, 
that  is,  to  keep  down  the  element  of  selfish- 


2  28  Soul  Culture 

ness  in  love,  so  that  love  itself  may  not  be 
choked,  but  may  advance  to  its  second  stage 
of  growth,  called  neighbourly  love;  and  the 
spiritual  foreshadowings  and  exhortations 
of  austere  poets,  called  prophets,  show  the 
vainglory  of  the  perishable  things  of  the 
world  and  the  necessity  of  fixing  the  mind 
on  the  things  of  the  Spirit.  Those  who  have 
carefully  considered  the  words  of,  and  the 
real  meaning  intended  to  be  conveyed  by, 
these  two  classes  of  teachers,  and  long  to 
hear  more  of  neighbourly  love  and  spirit- 
ual mindedness,  will  be  drawn  in  due  course 
to  the  Apostles  of  God,  and  receive  from 
them  the  higher  instruction  needed  for 
attaining  the  third  and  last  stage  of  spiritual 
growth,  known  as  Perfect  Love  (Matt,  v: 
48);  or  the  Love  that  transcends  breadth 
and  length,  depth  and  height  (Eph,  iii:  18). 
"No  man  can  come  to  me,'  said  Jesus 
"except  the  Father  who  has  sent  me  draw 
him"  (John  vi:  44),  except  it  be  given  unto 
him  {to  come  to  me)  by  my  Father"  (ib.  vi: 
65).     It  may  happen  that,  when  an  Apostle 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  229 

comes  into  a  city  or  speaks  on  a  public  plat- 
form, persons  may  go  to  hear  him  out  of 
curiosity  or  other  worldly  motive,  but  that 
is  only  coming  in  contact  with  the  body,  one 
body  going  to  meet  another  body.  Coming 
together  corporeally  does  not  exemplify  the 
great  and  mysterious  drawing,  which  all 
Apostles  know  as  of  absolute  truth.  It  is 
only  when  a  spirit,  dissatisfied  with  sensu- 
ous gratification  and  the  hollowness  of 
worldly  knowledge,  awakens  to  the  necessity 
of  searching  for  something  more  real,  that 
it  is  led  on  from  place  to  place,  it  may  be 
through  different  lands  and  across  oceans, 
to  the  full  grown  spirit  called  an  Apostle  of 
God.  It  is  such  thirsty  spirits  that  are 
qualified  to  drink  of  him.  Those  who  are 
spiritually  unripe  cannot  appreciate  his  in- 
struction. Indeed,  his  principles  will  be  dis- 
tasteful to  them.  Often  they  will  turn  away 
from  him  with  vehement  impatience,  espe- 
cially if  they  be  perched  upon  high  places, 
delivering  wrong  doctrines  to  the  multitude. 
Roused  by  fear  and  jealousy,  they  may  seek 


230  Soul  CuUure 

to  discredit  him  in  various  ways.  There- 
fore, said  Jesus,  "give  not  that  which  is  holy 
unto  the  dogs;  neither  cast  ye  your  pearls 
before  swine  lest  they  trample  them  under 
their  feet  and  turn  again  and  rend  you" 
(Matt,  vii:  6).  The  methods  of  rending  the 
Apostle  may  extend  from  ridiculing  his  doc- 
trine to  crucifying  his  body. 

Jesus  named  eight  classes  of  persons  as 
properly  qualified  to  hear  the  final  truths 
relating  to  the  perfection  of  Love  and  Happi- 
ness. They  are  the  "poor  in  spirit,"  "they 
that  mourn,"  "the  meek,"  "they  who 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,"  "the 
merciful,"  "the  pure  in  heart,"  "the  peace- 
makers," and  "they  who  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake."  These  are  the  "sheep" 
who  hear  the  voice  of  the  good  shepherd, 
the  persons  who,  hearing  the  eternal  princi- 
ples of  Godliness,  are  fit  to  understand  them 
without  difficulty,  enter  diligently  upon  the 
practice  of  them,  and  attain  the  blessedness 
which  Jesus,  like  the  Apostle  who  sang  the 
first    two    Psalms    commented    upon  in  the 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  231 

preceding    chapter,   glorifies   in   the   opening 
words  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

The  "poor  in  spirit"  are  they  whose  hkes 
and  dishkes  are  of  the  fewest,  and  whose 
spirits  therefore  feel  poor  in  regard  to  sensu- 
ous enjoyments.  "0  Bhikshti,"  said  a  Sage 
of  India,  "empty,  empty  thy  boat,  for  sooner 
will  it  run  towards  Freedom."  A  Bhikshu 
•is  one  who  is  conscious  that  his  interest  in 
the  vain  shews  and  idle  amusements  of 
worldly  life  has  waned  greatly.  His  posses- 
sions, however  great,  count  for  little  in  his  esti- 
mation, such  as  rank,  position,  wealth,  bodily 
beauty,  and  marble  halls.  They  appear  to 
him  to  be  "uncertain  riches"  (I  Tim.  vi:  17), 
to  be  plainly  perishable  treasures,  and  his 
mind  (called  "boat  "  by  the  Sage,  because  it  is 
that  which  was  designed  to  carry  the  spirit 
to  God)  has  ceased  to  be  attached  to  them. 
To  such  a  pilgrim  spirit  the  work  of  empty- 
ing the  mind  of  all  thoughts  relating  to  car- 
nal things  cannot  be  difficult.  Worldly 
likes  and  dislikes,  and  the  puffed-up  sense  of 
"I"  and  "mine,"  are  obstacles  to  spiritual 


232  Soul  Culture 

instruction.  If  the  mind  is  unentangled 
by  them,  it  will  readily  grasp  the  truths  re- 
lating to  God.  Hence  the  necessity  for 
emptying  the  mind  of  its  lumber.  The  poor 
in  spirit  depleted  of  worldly  cravings  are, 
in  the  words  of  St.  James  (ii:  5),  "the  poor 
of  the  world  rich  in  faith"  (that  is,  love). 
They  are  the  Lord's  own  poor  spirits.  "For- 
get not  the  congregation  of  the  poor,"  said 
the  Psalmist  (Ixxiv:  19).  They  receive  from 
the  Lord  the  gift  of  ripeness  for  understand- 
ing the  doctrine  of   Blessedness. 

Even  so  are  "they  that  mourn"  (Matt, 
v:  4).  When  one  feels  depleted  of  the  con- 
ceits of  I-hood  and  my -hood,  a  sadness  settles 
on  his  heart  and  face.  He  goes  through  his 
appointed  duties  well  enough,  he  may  even 
participate  in  social  amusements  and  keep 
up  an  air  of  merriment,  but  everything 
strikes  him  as  being  so  vain  and  hollow  that 
he  often  debates  within  himself  whether  life 
is  worth  living.  He  does  not  understand  the 
change  that  has  come  over  him,  nor  the 
raison  d'etre  of  the  great  panorama  of  life 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  233 

with  all  its  unexpected  developments  and 
shifting  scenes  of  weal  and  woe.  He  con- 
fesses his  utter  inability  to  comprehend  him- 
self or  the  world  around  him,  and  groans  in 
spirit  that  the  world,  once  so  full  of  interest 
and  joy  to  him,  has  become  so  uninteresting 
and  gloomy,  though  he  is  not  afflicted  by 
disease  or  physical  separation  from  any 
person  or  thing.  What  means  this  great 
change  from  optimism  to  pessimism?  he 
asks. 

Another  class  of  mourners  consists  of  those 
who  have  fallen  from  plenty  to  poverty,  or 
lost  some  dear  relation  or  friend,  or  been  un- 
justly accused  and  condemned  to  forfeit 
rank,  social  position,  or  personal  liberty,  or 
are  bedridden  through  disease.  There  is 
much  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth  in  the 
case  of  most  of  them,  but  a  few  become 
thoughtful.  They  see  now  what  they  could 
not  see  before  —  the  uncertainty  of  life  and 
the  perishability  of  everything  corporeal. 
They  become  sad.  Passing  through  the  fire 
of  misfortune,  their  minds,  purified   of  the 


234  Soul  Culture 

dross  of  worldliness,  are  now  prepared  to 
hear  and  understand  the  principles  that  re- 
late to  the  imperishable  pleasures  of  life 
summed  up  in  the  word  Blessedness. 

These  two  classes  of  mourners  shall  indeed 
"be  comforted,"  said  Jesus,  when  they  learn 
and  realise  the  truths  of  spiritual  life.  They 
shall  be  lifted  out  of  pessimism  and  placed 
in  everlasting  joy,  which  is  spiritual  op- 
timism. 

The  meek  shall  be  blessed,  for  they  shall 
inherit  the  earth  (Matt,  v;  5).  This  was 
the  teaching  of  the  Psalmist  also:  "  The 
meek  shall  inherit  the  earth,  and  shall 
delight  themselves  in  the  abundance  of 
Peace"  (Ps.  xxxvii:  11).  The  " blessedness " 
referred  to  by  Jesus  is  called  "peace"  by 
the  Psalmist. 

These  are  synonymous  terms  in  the  lips 
of  the  Apostles  of  God.  The  meek  are  they 
who  "fret  not,  because  of  evildoers  .  .  . 
and  .  .  .  cease  from  anger"  (Ps.  xxxvii: 
i);  who  are  not  haughty  or  high  minded 
(Rom.    xi:    20),    but    practise    the     art    of 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  2^^ 

forbearance  and  self-effacement,  which  de- 
velops loving  kindness  amazingly.  They 
shall  soon  have  the  fruit  of  embodiment, 
for  the  spirit  was  invested  with  an  earthly 
body  only  that  it  may  grow  in  love  and  at- 
tain Blessedness.  The  inheritance  derivable 
by  embodiment  or  incarnation  is  perfect 
Peace  and  Blessedness. 

They  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness (Matt,  v:  6)  are  also  mature  enough 
in  spirit  to  understand  and  practise  the  prin- 
ciples of  true  life.  Most  people  are  satis- 
fied with  themselves.  To  dress,  eat,  make 
merry,  and  sleep  well  is  the  acme  of  their 
happiness.  They  love  amusement,  fun,  and 
laughter,  as  much  as  good  food,  stylish  dress, 
and  long-drawn  sleep.  Some  want  also  work 
and  literature  of  some  sort  to  fill  their  cup. 
It  is  only  the  fewest  of  the  few  who  turn 
their  attention  inwards  and  search  their 
hearts.  Of  what  avail  is  luxury  and  external 
cleanliness  if  worldliness  rules  the  mind? 
"What  is  the  good  of  being  a  "whited  sepul- 
chre," clean  outward  but  inward  full  of  filth? 


236  Soul  Culture 

The  daily  discovery  of  the  many  subtle  ways 
in  which  the  principle  of  impurity  encom- 
passes the  soul  while  engaged  in  the  trans- 
actions of  worldly  life,  and  the  earnest 
desire  to  overcome  it,  and  to  live  not  only 
according  to  law  but  also  with  a  heartfelt 
regard  for  the  rights  and  needs  of  others,  is 
the  commencement  of  the  "hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness."  When  upright- 
ness in  thought,  word,  and  deed  is  the  one 
food  for  which  the  soul  cries,  the  Lord  will 
not  suffer  it  to  famish  (Prov.  x:  3).  He 
will  fill  it  with  gladness.  "Oh  that  men 
would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness," 
cried  the  Psalmist,  "for  he  satis fieih  the  long- 
ing soul,  and  filleth  the  hungry  soul  with 
goodness"  (Ps.  cvii:  8,  9).  "Blessed  is  he 
that  doeth  righteousness  at  all  times" 
(Ps.  cvi:  3),  for  the  "voice  of  rejoicing  and  sal- 
vation is  in  the  tabernacles  of  the  righteous" 
(Ps.   cxviii:  15). 

Those  who  are  steadfast  in  their  love  for 
righteousness,  and  suffer  hardships,  such  as 
jibes  and  jeers,  insults  and  injuries,  at  the 


Doctrines  oj  Jesus  237 

hands  of  undisceming  people,  will  also  be 
given  spiritual  joy. 

The  merciful  too  will  be  blessed.  They 
who  avoid  the  temptations  of  making  life 
burdensome  to  their  enemies,  rivals,  or  sub- 
ordinates, or  who  show  loving-kindness 
promptly  to  those  who  stand  in  need  of  help, 
will  have  their  own  burdens  lightened  and 
their  way  to  perfect  love  made  straight  and 
clear. 

Similarly,  the  pure  in  heart,  or  those  who 
are  without  guile,  will  have  the  power  of 
understanding  the  doctrine  of  perfect  love 
and  readily  pursuing  the  methods  necessary 
for  the  attainment  of  such  love  and  so  enter- 
ing into  actual  fellowship  with  God. 

Blessed  also  shall  peacemakers  be,  for  they 
shall  be  called  sons  of  God  (Matt,  v:  9). 
"Peacemakers,"  as  commonly  understood, 
are  those  who  strive  to  promote  harmony 
between  persons  who  have  misunderstood 
each  other ;  but  what  is  intended  in  this  verse 
is  pacification  of  one's  own  thoughts.  Op- 
position and  insult, fears  and  disappointments, 


238  Soul  Culture 

agitate  the  mind.  If  sorrow  and  trouble 
are  to  be  avoided,  the  thought  that  pro- 
vokes them  must  be  calmed  by  a  process 
of  "never  minding."  As  soon  as  the  mind 
thinks  of  the  cause  of  the  agitation,  this  must 
be  dismissed  from  it :  the  mind  must  not  be 
allowed  to  return  to  it.  None  of  the  inci- 
dents connected  with  it  should  be  contem- 
plated. "Cast  down  imaginations,"  said 
St.  Paul,  "that  exalt  against  God"  (II  Cor. 
x;  5),  that  is,  abate  all  thoughts  that  rise 
against  the  Spirit  of  Infinite  Love,  for  the 
interests  of  the  Soul  are  greater  than  those 
of  the  body.  The  mind  should  not  make 
mountains  of  a  matter  which  relates  after 
all  only  to  a  lump  of  flesh,  that  is,  our  body 
or  some  other  corporeal  possession  which 
will  soon  perish  or  pass  away.  Life  was 
given  most  assuredly  for  love,  not  hate;  for 
peace,  not  strife;  for  wisdom,  not  folly.  By 
such  considerations,  many  a  man  is  found  in 
every  country  to  be  letting  his  thoughts  run 
down  to  a  comparative  calm  in  worldly  life,  and 
he  has  his  reward :  he  is  naturally  qualified 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  239 

to  follow  the  teachings  of  the  Apostle  as 
to  the  making  of  Perfect  Peace  in  spiritual 
communion,  the  "Peace  which  passeth  under- 
standing" (Phil,  iv:  7),  the  Peace  which 
ordinary  men  cannot  understand  or  think  of. 
Such  peacemakers  shall  be  called,  shall  be 
known  among  sanctified  men,  as  Sons  of 
God,  said  Jesus;  or  Christs,  said  St.  Paul,  for 
by  due  instruction  and  in  due  order  (I  Cor. 
XV :  23)  we  "all  come  unto  (that  is,  grow  to 
be)  a  perfect  man  (that  is)  come  unto  (or 
reach)  the  stature  (or  status)  of  the  fulness 
of  Christ"  (Eph.  iv:  13).  It  is  the  God 
of  Peace  who  makes  man  x>erfect  (Heb.  xiii: 
20),  through  his  Apostles,  who  bring  to  quali- 
fied spirits  the  Gospel  of  Peace,  which  to  all 
others  is  a  mystery  (Eph.  vi:  15,  19).  Jesus 
Christ,  like  other  Apostles  of  God,  came  and 
preached  Peace  (Eph.  ii:  17),  and  those  who 
have  been  thought  worthy  of  the  Gospel  of 
Peace  should  "keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in 
the  bond  of  Peace,"  said  St.  Paul  (Eph.  iv: 
3),  that  is,  they  should  take  care  to  maintain 
their  union  with   God   by  the   chain   called 


240  SotU   Culture 

Peace.  It  is  their  duty  and  privilege  to  be 
making  Peace  or  Perfect  Love,  so  as  to  enter 
into  fellowship  with  God.  The  word 
"Peace,"  derived  from  Lat.  pax,  pads,  is 
the  same  as  paksha  in  Sanskrit,  which  means 
love. 

Like  a  good  housewife  who  intelligently 
makes  butter  by  submitting  milk  to  the  differ- 
ent processes  of  boiling,  churning,  and  sepa- 
rating, the  man  who  would  be  good  and 
acceptable  to  God  must  make  love  out  of 
the  kindness  of  his  heart.  Except  for  worldly 
life  he  will  not  know  the  difference  between 
love  and  hate,  nor  the  good  and  bad  conse- 
quences of  either.  Home  and  society  are 
the  purifying  fires  necessary  for  bringing  the 
milk-pan,  called  the  heart,  to  the  boiling 
point,  when  love  and  hate  rise  to  the  surface. 
Once  invisible,  now  they  are  manifest  to  the 
spirit.  This  compound  of  love  and  hate, 
which  may  be  called  the  "cream"  of  human 
nature,  is  supposed  to  be  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  life,  the  be-all  and  end-all  of  exist- 
ence,   beyond   which    people    fancy   nothing 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  241 

remains  but  death.  This  is  so  in  the  case 
of  most  persons.  But  most  assuredly  they 
are  re-embodied  and  sent  back  to  earthly  life 
again  and  again  to  learn  to  see  the  desecra- 
tion of  hate  and  its  parent  folly.  And  so  in 
every  generation  there  arise  a  few  persons 
who  have  discernment  enough  to  perceive 
that  in  this  life  they  should  "  churii  the 
cream"  by  the  instrument  called  reason,  and 
separate  that  which  is  sour  from  that  which 
is  sweet.  This  work  of  separating  love  from 
hate  and  gathering  together  the  fragments 
of  love  during  the  process  of  consideration 
and  meditation,  so  as  to  make  daily  the  lump 
or  "body"  of  love  grow  larger  and  larger, 
becomes  to  them  the  real  meaning  and  chief 
concern  of  earthly  life.  To  form  the  body 
of  Christ  within  us  (Gal.  iv:  19),  even  as  a 
good  housewife  forms  balls  of  butter,  is  in- 
deed possible  to  those  who  have  loving-kind- 
ness enough  in  them  to  practise  the  art  of 
allowing  their  thoughts  to  run  down  to  a 
beautiful  calm. 

The  subsidence  of  all  thoughts  in  spiritual 


242  Soul  Culture 

communion,  while  un conquered  by  sleep,  is 
known  to  Sages  as  the  "end  of  the  world" 
(Matt,  xxiv:  3).  Then  comes  Love  to  the 
fore,  even  as  the  sun  comes  out  of  the  clouds. 
This  is  called  the  ' '  rising  of  the  da)^  star  in 
our  heart"  (II  Pet.  i:  19),  or  the  "Day  of 
the  Lord"  (II  Pet.  iii.  10)  or  the  "Coming 
of  Christ"  (Matt,  xxiv:  3,  27). 

The  learned  Scribes  and  Pliarisees  who  sat 
on  the  seat  of  Moses  did  not  understand  the 
spirit  of  his  teachings.  They,  said  Jesus, 
were  careful  enough  to  pay  the  taxes  due  on 
such  little  garden  produce  as  mint,  anise, 
and  cummin  seed,  but  wholly  neglected  to 
heed  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  namely, 
discernment  of  the  spirit  (krisis),  mercy  to 
men  (eleos),  and  love  of  God  (pistis).  They 
decked  themselves  in  striking  gamients  and 
imposed  on  their  congregations  burdensome 
rules  and  practices,  which  did  not  give  them 
any  knowledge  whatever  of  God.  They 
have  shut  up  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  against 
men,  he  cried;  they  neither  go  in  themselves, 
nor  suffer  others  that  are  entering  to  go  in. 


Doctrines  0}  Jesus  243 

Behold,  O  Jerusalem,  your  house  of  God 
is  desolate  for  want  of  true  worshippers 
(Matt,  xxiii:  4-38). 

Jesus  turned  from  the  worldly  minded 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  to  his  disciples  and 
prophesied  the  destruction  of  the  great 
Temple.  On  previous  occasions  he  had 
spoken  to  them  of  the  day  of  Judgment 
(Matt,  x:  15),  and  of  the  end  of  the  world 
(ib.  xiii:  40-49),  and  now  that  he  referred  to 
the  destruction  of  the  temple,  they  thought, 
in  terms  of  the  popular  belief  of  the  times, 
that  the  Messiah,  who  was  to  spring  from  the 
line  of  David,  was  about  to  appear  on  Mount 
Moriah,  and  establish  a  universal  empire. 
So  they  asked  him,  while  seated  on  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  which  commanded  a  good  view 
of  the  Temple,  "When  shall  these  things  be? 
What  shall  be  the  signs  of  thy  coming,  and 
of  the  end  of  the  world?" 

Jesus  then  took  great  pains  to  dispel  from 
their  minds  the  popular  delusion  regarding 
these  two  subjects.  His  exposition  is  given 
at  length  in  Chapter  xxiv  of  St.   Matthew. 


244  Soul  Culture 

"Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive  you,"  said 
he:  the  "coming  of  Christ"  is  not  an  event 
that  takes  place  abroad,  but  is  an  experience 
within  you,  so  that  if  any  man  say  Lo,  here 
is  Christ,  or  there  is  Christ,  beUeve  it  not. 
He  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  desert  or  in  moun- 
tain caves.  Nor  is  the  coming  of  Christ 
associated  with  signs  and  wonders  in  the 
outer  world,  such  as  earthquakes,  wars, 
famines,  and  plagues.  The  signs  occur  within 
the  body  only.  They  are  all  spiritual  signs 
or  signs  manifested  to  the  spirit  in  the  spirit 
itself.  It  is  not  meet  that  such  spiritual 
experiences  should  be  divulged  too  openly, 
but  Jesus  has  specified  some  of  the  signs 
(Matt,  xxiv:  29-31);  and  so  have  Peter 
(II  Pet.  iii:  10-12)  and  Paul  (I  Thes.  iv:  16). 
These  signs  are  vouchsafed  to  the  spirit  at 
its  "rising"  or  "coming"  or  "re-birth"  in 
order  that  it  may  not  have  any  doubt  of  its 
Own  True  Being.  They  consist  of  internal 
sounds,  like  trumpet  blasts  and  blowing  of 
gales;  sights  like  lightning  flashes;  and  the 
feeling    of    all    one's     I-ness     and     my-ness 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  245 

consumed  in  a  great  melting  furnace.  Amidst 
a  distressing  sense  of  a  general  conflagration 
and  "melting"  of  the  elements  of  thought, 
and  of  a  crumbling  up  of  all  mental  states, 
comes  an  indescribable  Calm,  accompanied 
with  a  great  and  hallowing  Effulgence,  which, 
growing  every  instant,  innundates  the  whole 
body  and,  getting  beyond  its  bounds,  like  a 
river  that  has  swept  over  its  banks,  flows  in 
every  direction  far  and  wide  as  Love  Absolute, 
as  Love  unconditioned  by  quantity  or  quality. 
This  grand  spiritual  experience  or  dis- 
covery on  the  part  of  the  full-grown  Soul 
that  it  is  Perfect  Love,  transcending  all 
finiteness,  is  incomprehensible  (John  iii: 
4,  9,  10)  to  the  "natural  man"  (I  Cor.  ii:  14). 
His  mind  cannot  grasp  this  infinite  knowledge 
(John  xvii:  3),  this  soul-knowledge,  called 
Atma  darsana  by  Sages  in  India.  But  if  his 
selfish  love,  or  the  love  that  is  in  bondage 
to  worldly  likes  and  dislikes,  gradually  puts 
away  such  fetters  and  learns  of  Godly  men 
the  methods  of  attaining  Perfect  Love,  it  will 
soon   grow  into  neighbourly  love,   and  then 


246  Soul  Culture 

in  due  time  into  Perfect  Love  which  is  as 
wide  as  space.  "Rooted  and  grounded  in 
love,"  said  St.  Paul,  it  is  indeed  possible 
in  spiritual  communion  "to  comprehend, 
with  all  the  saints  (i.e.,  as  all  sanctified  men 
have  experienced  heretofore),  what  the 
breadth  and  length  and  depth  and  height  is" 
of  that  Perfect  Love  (Eph.  iii:  17,  18). 

This  wonderful  manifestation  (John  xiv: 
20)  or  appearance  (during  spiritual  com- 
munion) of  the  Spirit  as  Perfect  Love  in  all 
its  formless  beauty  (Isa.  liii:  2)  is  known  as 
its  "second  birth"  (John  iii:  3;  I  Pet.  i:  23), 
in  reference  to  its  "first  birth"  or  appearance 
in  worldliness.  In  order  to  emancipate  it 
from  worldliness,  it  was  given  many  a  body 
and  many  a  sphere  of  action.  During  these 
careers  on  earth,  encased  in  the  mind-organ- 
ism called  by  Sages  the  "womb"  of  mother- 
nature  (Sansk.  garbha  :  see  Anugita,  chap, 
v.;  Gr.  koilia:  see  Ps.  xxii:  9  and  Gal.  i:  15), 
the  spirit  learns  the  dangers  of  being  in  asso- 
ciation with  impurity  and  at  last  craves  to 
be  free  from  it.     "Deliver  me,  0  my  God, 


Doctrines  of  Jesus  247 

out  of  the  hand  of  the  wicked,  out  of  the 
hand  of  the  unrighteous  and  cruel  man,"  it 
cries.  "Thou,  who  hast  shewed  nie  great 
and  sore  troubles,  shalt  quicken  me  again; 
and  shalt  bring  me  again  from  the  depths  of 
the  earth  "  (Ps.  Ixxi:  4,  20).  "Turn  me  from 
vanity  and  quicken  me  in  thy  way,  in  thy 
righteousness.  Thy  word  hath  quickened 
me"  (Ps.  cxix:  37,  40,  50).  Hearing  the 
GOund  doctrine  of  Godliness,  the  soul  is 
quickened  in  its  mind-womb.  It  then  knows 
it  is  something  other  than  the  mind  and  senses. 
It  is  certain  that  it  is  neither  thought  nor 
sense  perception.  The  man  of  God  teaches 
him  that,  like  God,  it  is  Love,  not  the  love 
that  spri.igs  from  sexhood,  but  the  love  that 
stands  isolate  from  all  that  is  flesh,  even  as 
God  is  Love,  purest  and  perfect.  If  the  spirit 
labours  for  its  fullest  maturity,  by  perform- 
ing its  round  of  worldly  duties  in  utmost 
love  and  by  waiting  upon  the  Lord  daily 
in  spiritual  communion,  according  to  the 
methods  known  to  the  sanctified,  it  will 
most    assuredly    outgrow   the    limitations    of 


248  Soul  Culture 

the  mind,  and  be  delivered  in  its  own  proper 
form  as  Boundless  Love.  This  dehvery  of 
the  Spirit  from  the  entanglements  of  mind 
and  body,  and  the  knowledge  of  its  indepen- 
dent existence  as  Perfect  Love,  is  the  second 
birth  of  the  spirit.  The  first  birth  is  its  fall 
into  worldliness.  The  second  birth  is  its 
rise  to  Godliness,  or  full  knowledge  of  God, 
while  on  earth  and  in  the  body. 


INDEX 


Abatement  of  thought,  192. 
"Able  ministers  of  the  spirit,"  56. 
Abraham,  131. 

God  of,  etc.,  131. 
Aganias,  124. 

Agape  vs.  pistis,  17,  26-28. 

Agnosticism  and  atheism,  rise  of  in  the  West,  73. 
Alexander  the  Great,  40. 
Alexandria,  40. 

Catechetical  School  of,  46,  47. 
Aloneness  (of  spirit),  97,  103-106,  118. 
Allegories,  proverbs  and  parables,  value  of,  43-46. 
Anointed  Teacher,    183,    184.     See  Christ. 
Antioch,  School  of  Christians  at,  47. 
Apostle  of  God,  defined,  206.     See  Christ. 

is   the   Son,  in   actual  fellowship  with  God,  211, 
212. 
Apostles  are  the  illumined,   211. 
Apostolic  Fathers,  67. 

knowledge  is  actual,  direct,  knowledge   of  God, 
211,  212. 
Apostasy  among  the  Jews,  1 47-1 51. 
Aquinas,  Thomas,  views  as  to  oral  tradition,  64,  66. 
Athanasius,  difficulties  of,  with  Christian  creeds,  72. 
Atheism  threatens  the  West,  says  Cardinal  Newman, 
,       II-     , 
Atma-darsana  (knowledge  of  the  soul),  97,  182. 
A trndna-dtmani  pasya,  106,  130. 
Atnta  in  moksha.  121. 
Attainment  of  God,  four  stages  leading  to,  124. 

of  Christhood,  98,  99,  188,  210,  211,  243-248. 
Augustine,  difficulties  of,  in  interpreting  the  Bible, 
72. 

249 


250  Index 

Avdnmanasa  gocaram,  God  is,  94. 

Babylonish  captivity,  influence  of,  on  Jewish  faith, 

150. 
Bain  on  the  relations  of  the  mind  and  the  body,  109. 
Barnabas,  67. 
Bible,  the  great  value  of  the  teachings  of  the,  to 

the  West,  79. 
Birth  of  the  spirit,  first,  246. 

second,  246. 
Blessedness,  greatness  of,  172-175. 

fleeting  nature  of  other  enjoyments,  173. 
the  two  contrasted,  173. 
Brahma  sthiti  (Godliness),  95,  123. 
Butter-making  as  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which 
love  for  God  may  be  developed,  240,  241. 

Cabbala,  40. 

Carnally-minded,  the,  characterised,  215. 
Catechetical  School  of  Alexandria,  46,  47. 
Caustic  wit,  raillery,  etc.,  danger  of,  177,  178. 
Chalcedon,  Council  at,  71. 
Christ,  formation  of,  in  man,  30,  241. 
"before  Abraham,"  119. 
the  West  knows  of  but  one,  but  India  of  many 

in  each  generation,  81,  210. 
every  spirit  when  perfected  becomes,  210. 

as  all  sanctified  teachers  declare,  211. 
is  the  soul  freed  from  bondage  to  worldliness,  119. 
in  what  sense  king,  205,  206. 

a  sanctified  spirit,  an  Apostle  of  God,  the  "Good 
Shepherd,"  "King,"  "  Son,"  Teacher,  206,  207. 
a  royal  Priest,  207-209. 

a  high  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchisedek,  208. 
function  of,  to  draw  souls  to  God,  213-214. 
"coming  of,"  a  matter  of  inner  experience,  244. 

that  experience  outlined,  240-248. 
difficult  Bible  texts  for  those  who  believe  in  but 

one, 210. 
See  Jivanmiikias  and  Jnanis. 
Christhood,  Messiahship,  31. 

Divine  plan  of  salvation  designs  every  spirit  to 
attain  it,  188. 


Index  251 


Christhood  —  Continued. 
Sonship  of  God,  188. 

a  matter  of  actual  experience  and  personal  knowl- 
edge, 211,  212,  245,  247. 
See  miikti  and  Freedom. 
Christ  Jesus,  an  Apostle  or  Son  of  God,  210,  211,  214. 
not  the  only  Son  of  God,  81,  118,  210. 
taught  how  to  gain  release  from  the  burdens  of 

thought,  217. 
his    first    teaching    "Repent,"    i.e.,  change    your 
thoughts,   218;   turn  your  thoughts  to  imper- 
ishable things,  218. 
taught  the  development  of  Perfect  Love,  222-224. 
his  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  225-242.     See  Sermon 

on  the  Mount. 
care  he  took  to  dispel  the  idea  of  an  external 
"coming  of  Christ,"  243. 
Christly  fulness,  30. 
Church  creeds  and  dogmas,  difficulties  of,  5,  72. 

of  Nicasa,  Chalcedon,  etc.,  70. 
Churchianity  has  taken   the   place   of  Christianity 
because  of  the  lack  of  spiritual  knowledge,  72. 
Disastrous  consequences  to  the  West,  73-78. 
Commercial  dishonesty,  a  result  of  self-love  fostered 

by  absence  of  spiritual  ideals,  74-76. 
Corrupt   influences  in  public   life  due   to  prevalence 

of  self-love,  75. 
Civilisation,  defined,  79. 

true  goal  of,  love  of  God  and  man,  79. 
Commandments  given  to  Moses,  132,  133. 
Consciousness,  of  the  freed  spirit,  121. 
the  Knower,  the  Soul,  the  Spirit,  107. 
pure,  region  of,  123. 
Councils,  various,  70,  71. 

Crown  of  Life,  the  kingship  of  the  spirit  over  the 
flesh,  194. 

Day  star,  its  rising  in  the  heart,  49. 
Derision,  scorn,  spirit  of,  dangerous,  177,  17R. 
Desires,  decline  of,  leads  to  Peace,  112,  120. 
Disciples   of  Jesus,   not   all   had   spiritual  discern- 
ment, 50. 


252  Index 


Doctrine,  of  appearance  or  coming  of  Christ,  97, 

244-246. 
of  Blessedness  and  how  it  may  be  attained,  172- 

177. 
of  "Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God,"  192. 
of    Christhood,     188,     210,     211,     243-248.     See 

mukti  and  Freedom, 
of  conquest  of  care  and  sorrow  by  the  control 

of  thought,  216-218. 
of  drawing  qualified  spirits  to  God,  214,  228,  229. 
of  Faith,  15-19. 
of  Faith  (love  of  God)  following  sound  teaching, 

17.  19- 
of  "  Faith  Cometh  by  hearmg,     19. 
of  "Father  in  me  and   I  in   Him,"   "I  and  the 

Father  are  one,"  31. 
of  fellowship  with  God,  31. 

of  freedom,  121,  210.     See  Christhood  and  mukti. 
of  the  formation  of  Christ  in  man,  30,  225,  241. 
of  the  "Good  Shepherd"  and  his  "sheep,"  203, 

204. 
that  God  is  in  the  soul,  123,  124. 
of  the  growth  of  the  spirit,  its  three  stages,  224. 
of  hearing  and  understanding,  21-23. 
of  human  perfectibility,  225. 
of  intended  vs.  literal  meaning,  37  e<  seq. 
of  isolation,  aloneness,  97,  103-106,  118. 
of  the  knowable  as  distinguished  from  the  sen- 
sible and  the  thinkable,  93,  94,  107,  108,  120- 

123. 
of  knowledge  of  God,  56. 
of  Law  the  way  to  Love,  226-228. 
of  man's  capacity  to  know  God,  97. 
of  the  maturity  of  the  spirit,  31,  224. 
of  meditation,  its  value,  179,  180. 
of  the  Messiah,  155-158,  213. 
of  "no  man  can  come  unto  me  except  the  Father 

draw  him,"  228. 
of  Oneness  with  God  in  love,  20,  29-32,  51. 
of  Perfect,   Godly,   or  Christly  Love,    220,    224, 

225,  228. 
of  the  quickening  of  the  spirit,  247. 


Index  253 

Doctrine  of  appearance  of  Christ  —  Continued. 

of  renunciation  of  the  world,  23. 

of  repentance,  218. 

of  the  resurrection  among  the  Jews,  144-155. 

of  a  "royal  priesthood,"  207. 

of  salvation,  188. 

of  second  birth  or  rebirth,  246,  248. 

of  self-surrender,  189. 

of  Sonship  to  God,  188,  210. 

that  the  soul  can  only  be  known  by  the  Soul, 
106,  108. 

that  the  Spirit  is  that  which  loves,  222. 

that  that  which  hates  is  Corruption  or  Folly,  223. 

of  spiritual  discernment,  48,  55. 

of  necessity  of  understanding  the  true  teaching,  2 1 . 
"Drawing"  or  "  calling"  of  the  spirit  of  God,  214. 

Ekballei  should  be  read  "cast  away,"  25. 

"  End  of  the  world,"  comes  when  the  mind  ceases 

to  diflferentiate,  99. 
Esoteric   interpretation    of   Scriptures   lost   to   the 
Christian  world,  46,  47. 
known,  however,  to  the  spiritually  wise,  48. 
advocated  by  Origen  and  the  Alexandrian  School, 
46,  47. 
Exoteric  worship  only  a  stepping-stone  to  esoteric 

worship,  89. 
Essenes,  158-163,  164,  166. 

Jesus  possibly  an  Essene,  163. 
Experience,   an,   typical   of  religious  conditions  in 
the  West,  9. 

"Faith,"     variously     and    unsatisfactorily    inter- 
preted in  the  West,  12. 

efforts  of  Church  leaders  to  define  the  term,  12. 

in  the  New  Testament  means  love  as  well  as 
belief,  15. 

follows  upon  belief,  16. 

equivalent  of  Sansk.  bhakti  and  Gr.  pistis,  16. 

or  love   of   God,   may   be   developed   by   proper 
teacher, —  "  Faith  comcth  by  hearing,"  17,  19. 
Fellowship  of  Christ  with  God,  31,  210. 


2  54  Index 

Formation  of  Christ  in  man,  30,  241. 
Freedom  of  the  soul,  119,  121. 
Fulness  of  Christ,  30. 

General  resurrection,  doctrine  of,  151 
God,  is  in  the  soul,  124. 

folly  of  attempting  to  monopolise   Him  or   His 
Apostles,  213. 

may  be  known  by  man,  56,  94,  103-106,  210,  211. 

of  Abraham,  etc.,  131. 

His  Plan  of  Salvation,  188. 
Growth  of  the  spirit,  224. 
"Good  Shepherd,"  the,  and  his  sheep,  203,  204. 

"Heathen"  defined,   184. 

Helikia,  Christly  maturity,  31. 

Henotes  tes  pisteos,  29-32. 

Hermas,  68. 

Hule,  the  material  cause  of  the  world,  161. 

"I  am,"  name  for  pure  spirit,  132,  192. 

Ignatius,  bishop  of  Antioch,  67. 

Infidelity   and   belief   in   externals   following   upon 

lack  of  sound  spiritual  instruction,  77,  78. 
Interpretation,  should  be  based  upon  oral  tradition, 
61  et  seq. 
true,  difficulty  of  arriving  at,  38. 

needed  to  make  Bible  a  living  force,  80,  81. 
impossible  to  the  worldly-minded,  42,  43. 
possible   to  those   having  spiritual   discern- 
ment, 47;    that   is,    possible  by   the  aid 
of  Jndms  or  Jivanmuktas,  81. 
unsound,  disastrous  consequences  of,  73-78. 

Agnosticism,       irreverence,       materialism, 

atheism,     73. 

Self-love;    its    nature    and  results,    73-76. 

Commercial      dishonesty,      immorality     in 

politics,    poverty    and    crime    in     cities, 

and  the  like,  75,  76. 

Interpretations  of   the    scriptures,  various,  Papias 

on,  68. 
Irreverence,  rise  of,  in  the  West,  73. 
Isolation  or  aloneness  (of  the  spirit),  97,  103-106,  irS. 


Index  i^S 

Jehovah,  the  self-existent,  132. 
Jesus,  greatness  as  a  teacher,  18. 

impressive  qualities  of  character,  18. 

was  a  jndni,  116. 

had  great  spiritual  powers,    116. 

in  samddhi   (in  storm  at  sea) ,    117.     See  Christ 
Jesus. 
Jews,  early  history  of,  131. 

apostasy  among,  147-151. 

ideals  common  to  all  sects  of,  164,  165. 

their  beliefs  as  regards  a  Resurrection,  145;  and  a 
Messiah,   155. 
Jiva-ahankdra,  100,  10 1. 
Jivamnuktas  or  Jndnis,  81,  87,  171,  182,  183. 

necessity    of   resorting   to,  for   true    meaning   of 
Bible,  81,  82. 

characteristics  of,  88,  91,  92. 

also     called     Jndna-gnriis     (Teachers     of     godly 
wisdom),  89,  90,  184,  185. 

and  Jagat-gurus  or  Loka-gurus  (World  Teachers) 

where  found  in  India,  90. 
fourfold  classification  of,   113-117. 
doctrines  of,  93-108. 

Spiritual  and  worldly  experience  contrasted,  93. 

Range  of  the  thinkable,  sensible,  and  knowable, 

93.  94- 
God  is  knowable,  but  not  sensible  or  thinkable, 

94- 
Renunciation,   or  forsaking  impurities,   95. 
"Ascent  of  soul  towards  God,"  95. 
"Rising"  of  the  soul  in  glory  of  the  sun,  96. 
Isolation,  aloneness  (of  spirit),  97. 
Appearance  or  coming  of  Christ,  97. 
Knowledge  of  God,  97. 
"Melting  of  the  elements,"  or,   "burning  up" 

of  the  bonds  of  worldlinesa,  99. 
The  "end    of   the    world  "  —  cessation    of   the 

recognition  of  diflferentiated existence,  99,  100. 
Deathof  worldly,  and  birth  of  Godly,  spirit,  100, 

lOI. 

"Know  the  soul  through  the  soul,"  106,  108. 


256 


Index 


Jivanmnktas  or  Jndnis,  doctrines  of  —  Continued. 

Only  by  separation  of  the  soul  from  the  "flesh" 
can  God  be  known,  103-106. 

Summary,  108. 

See  Christ. 
Jndndgni,  fire  of  Truth,  99. 
Jndna  Khdnda  of  the  Vedas,  124. 
John  the  Apostle,  his  Christhood,  50,  51. 
Josephus,  his  account  of  the  Essenes,  158,  159. 
Josiah,  his  reestablishment  of  the  Law,  148. 
Joy  and  Love  increase  together,  224. 

Kaivalya  (aloneness),  97. 

"Key  of  knowledge,"  56. 

"Kings  of  the  earth"  (Ps.  ii  :  i),  defined,  186. 

Knower,  Soul,  Spirit,  or  Consciousness,  107,  108. 

Know  the  soul  by  the  soul,  106,  120. 

Knowing  as  distinguished  from  perceiving  by  the 

senses  and  thinking,  107,  108,  120-123. 
Krisis  (discernment),  27. 

Law,  given  to  Moses,  132,  133. 
nature  of,  227. 
purpose  of,  to  convert  self-love  into  neighbourly 

love,  226-228. 
respect  of  true  teacher  for,  227. 
Lewes  on  "supra-sensible"  world,  122. 
Lux  Mundi,  12. 

Likes  and  dislikes  are  the  cause  of  sorrow  and  un- 
rest, 215. 
Literal  vs.  intended  meaning,  38. 
Loka-guru  (world-teacher),  90. 
Love  of  God,  follows  belief  in  Him,  16. 

developed  by  the  true  Teacher,  17. 
waxes  as  love  of  the  world  wanes,  24. 
may  be  made  to  grow  from  the  kind- 
ness of  the  heart,  240,  241. 
of  the  world,  estrangement  from  God,  23. 
of  self,  St.  Paul  on,  73. 

spiritual,   the   first   thing   taught   of   by  men   of 
God,  220. 


Index  257 

Love  —  Continued. 

arises  within  the  family  and  expands  to  embrace 

all  men,  221;  enemies  as  well  as  friends,  222. 
to  the  end,  223. 
developed  by  Law,  226-228. 
and  joy  increase  together,  224. 
neighbourly,  228. 
neighbourly,  is  developed  from  selfish  love,  220, 

221. 
and  from  the  latter  Perfect  Love,  222-224. 

Masters,  Jndnis  or  Christs,  81,  82,  87-92. 
Materialism,  spread  of  in  the  West,  73. 
Meditation,  value  and  nature  of,  179. 
Messiah,  doctrine  of,  among  the  Jews,  155-158. 

Jesus  not  the  only,  213. 
Messianic    prophesies    refer    to    the    "drawing"    of 

qualified  spirits,   213,  214. 

not  peculiar  to  the  Jews,  214. 
Messiahship  or  Christhood,  31. 
Melchisedek,  207. 

belonged  to  a  royal  priesthood,  207. 

Jesus  of  the  same  order,  208. 

Paul  likewise,  209. 
Mistranslations : 

"faith"  (in  the  sense  of  belief),  12,  16. 

"only-begotten  son,"  118. 
Monogenes  huios,  true  meaning  of,  12,  118. 
Moses,  132. 
Mukti      (freedom),      116.      See     Christhood      and 

Freedom. 
Mystery  of  Christ  in  man,  31. 

of  faith,  or  Godly  love,  or  Godliness,  32. 
"Mysteries"  of  the  Bible,  65. 

Ndbi,  Knower  of  God,  136. 

Newman,    Cardinal;    his    difficulties    with    church 

dogmas,  5. 
Nicrea,  Council  of,  70. 
Nirdsa,  leads  to  samddhi,  112. 

art  of  pacifying  thought  leads  to,  113. 


258 


Index 


Offerings  prescribed  by  Mosaic  law,  133-135. 
"Only-begotten  son,"  a  mistranslation,  118. 
Oral  tradition,  importance  of,  49-56. 

delivered  by  Jesus  and  Paul,  61,  62. 

Roman  church  claims  to  possess,  63. 

Protestant  sects  deny,  64. 
Orthodoxy  is  the  teaching  of  the  spiritually  dis- 
cerning, 55. 

Pacifying  thought,  art  of,  leads  to  Nirasa,  113. 

Papias,  Bishop  of  Hierapolis,  68. 

Parable  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  203. 

Parables  of  the  Sower,  Hidden  Treasure,  etc.,  21-23. 

proverbs  and  allegories,  value  of,  42-46. 
Path  to  God,  stages  of,  124. 
Paul,  greatness  as  a  teacher,   19. 

when  he  attained  Christhood,  51-53. 

on  the  self-lover,  73. 
Peace,  absolute,  attainment  of,  121. 

greatest   of  blessings,    192,   237-240. 

-making,  dismissing  worldly  thoughts,  237-240. 
Pearls,  cast  not,  before  swine,  43. 
"People"   (Ps.  ii  :  i),  defined,  185. 
Perfectibility  of  the  human  spirit,  224,  225,  228. 
Pistis,  16. 

vs.  agape,  26-28. 
Pharisees,  140,  141,  164,  166. 

Philo    insists    on    interpretation    according    to    in- 
tended meaning,  41,  45. 
Pleroma  tou  Christou  (fulness  of  Christ),  30,  121. 
Politics,  immorality  in,  due  to  development  of  self- 
love  consequent  upon  lack  of  spiritual  knowl- 
edge, 75.  ,  .        ,  .  , 
"Pooling"    to   secure   unfair  advantages  m   trade 

due  to  same,  75. 
Polycarp,  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  68. 
Poverty  and  crime  in  Western  cities,  77. 
Progress,  definition  of,  79. 

true  goal  is  God,  79. 
Prophets,  their  rise  among  the  Jews,  137. 
Protestant  sects  deny  oral  tradition,  64. 


Index  259 


Psalm  i  interpreted,  172-183. 

ii  interpreted,  183-188. 

iii  interpreted,   189-192. 
Psychology  of  the  West,  difficulties  of,  109. 

Qualified,  those  who  are,  to  hear  the  final  doctrine; 
eight  classes  of,  230-240. 

Raillery  and  derision,  spirit  of,  dangerous,  177,  178. 

Rebirth  of  soul,  246. 

Repentance  means  change  of  thought,  218. 

Religions,  why  various,  125. 

Renunciation,  follows  understanding,  23. 

leads  to  Faith  or  Love  of  God,  23. 

enjoined  by  Jesus,  24,  25. 
Rest,  Peace,  or  Blissfulness,  117. 
Resurrection,  Jewish  belief  in,  145,  146. 

opposed  by  the  Sadducees,   146,   147. 

general,  Ezekiel,  1 51-154. 
"Rising  from  the  dead"  of  the  Jews,  142,  143. 
Royal  priesthood,  207. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  her  claim  to  interpret  the 
Scriptures,  63. 

Saccitdnanda,  121. 
Sadducees,  139,  140,  164,  166. 
Salvation,   Divine  plan  of,   188. 
Samddhi,  follows  on  nirdsa,  112. 

vikalpa    and    nirvikalpa,    98. 
Samuel,  136. 

his  "companies  of  prophets,"  136. 
Santi,   sanctification,   the   standing   alone,   isolated 

from  all  that  is  worldly,  119. 
Sanctified  in  spirit,  Jivanmuktas  or  Jndnis,  81,  87- 

92,  206. 
Scorn,  derision,  spirit  of,  dangerous,   177,  178. 
Schools  of  spiritual  instruction  among  the  Jews,  136. 
Schools,  Christian,  of  Alexandria  and  Antioch,  46, 

47- 
Scripture,  Christian,  why  meagre  and  obscure,  63. 
Second  birth  of  the  soul,  246. 


i6o  Index 

Sensationalism  in  Literature  and  the  Press  follows 
perversion  of  taste  due  to  unspiritual  ideals,  75. 
Self-love,  depicted  by  St.  Paul,  73. 

a  menace  to  society,  74-78. 
Septuagint,  how  produced,  40,  41. 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  22^  et  seq. 
practical  value  of,  225. 
an  exposition  of  the  principles  of  Infinite  Love, 

Light,  and  Joy,  225. 
only  the  spiritual-minded  can  understand  it,  229; 

and  see  203—207. 
formation  of  the  Perfect  Spirit,  225,  226. 
disciplinary  value  of  Law  and  Custom,  226,  227; 

respect  of  Godly  men  therefor,  227. 
"drawing"  of  the  qiialified,  228,  229. 
classes  of  qualified  persons: 
(i)  the  poor  in  spirit,  231. 

(2)  they  that  mourn,   232. 

(3)  the  meek,  234. 

(4)  they  who  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteous- 
ness, 235. 

(5)  they  who  are  persecuted  for  righteousness' 
sake,  236. 

(6)  the  merciful,  237. 

(7)  the  pure  in  heart,  237. 

(8)  peacemakers,  237-240. 

Jesus  taught  the  Gospel  of   Peace,  as  have  all 
other  Apostles,  239. 

formation  of  the  body  of  Christ,  241. 
"Sheep,  my,  hear  my  voice,"  204,  214. 
Sheol,  144. 

Shepherds,  good  and  bad,  203,  204,  207. 
Siddhanta,  125. 

Swa-dar^ana  (knowledge  of  God),  97. 
Signs  of  the  "coming"  of  Christ,  244. 
Soul,  Spirit,  Consciousness,  or  Knower,  107,  108. 

Know  the,  by  the  soul,  106,  120. 
Sorrow  and  unrest,  caused   by  likes   and  dislikes, 

215- 
Sower,  parable  of,  21,  22. 
Solomon,  his  worship  of  "other  gods,"   147. 
Sonship  of  God,  Christhood,  188. 


Index  16 1 

spirit,  isolation  or  aloneness  of,  97,  103-106,   118. 

See  Christhood. 

freedom  of,  121. 

sanctification  of,  is  the  freeing  from  corruption, 
206. 

is  that  which  loves,  222,    223. 

three  stages  of  growth  of,  224. 

first  birth  of  the,  its  fall  into  worldliness,  246. 

quickening  of  the,  247. 

second  birth  of  the,  247,  248. 
Spiritual  discernment,  alone  can  interpret,  48. 

is  the  true  ultimate  standard  of  orthodoxy,  55. 
Spiritual  love  is  the  first  thing  taught  of  by  men 

of  God,  220. 
St.  Clement,  views  as  to  interpretation,  46. 
Stages  or  paths  of  the  Agamas,  four,  124. 
"Supra-sensible"  world,  122. 

Talmud,  39,  40,  150. 

Teacher,  true,  character  and  attainments  of,    17. 

Teachings  of  the  Vedas  and  Agamas,  124. 

Temptations  must  be  avoided,  175. 

Tempting   thoughts   should   be    suppressed   at    the 
very  outset,  174. 

Thomson,  Archbishop,  his  views  as  to  oral  tradi- 
tion, 64. 

Thoughts  the  great  burden  of  men,  216. 

how  to  escape  therefrom  taught  by  Jesus,  217,  218. 

Tillai  (region  of  pure  consciousness),  103. 

Traditional  interpretation,  importance  of,  49  et  seq. 

Treasure,  hidden,  parable  of,  23. 

Understanding  the  teaching,  necessity  of,  21. 

Jesus  emphatic  about,  21. 

followed  by  renunciation,  23. 
Unfairness  in  trade  due  to  the  self-love  fostered  by 

unsound  spiritual  instruction,  74. 
Unity  of  Faith  or  Oneness  with  God  in  love,  20,  29- 

32.51- 
"Unlearned"  and  "unstable,     the,  39. 

Vedas,  124. 
Vedania,  125. 


262  Index 

Vedyam  (knowable),  God  is,  94. 
Vidya-guru  (teacher  of  secular  things),  90. 

Wakefulness,  great  importance  of,  192. 
West,  drifting  towards  atheism,  says  Cardinal  New- 
man, 12. 

deplorable  consequences  of  misinterpretation  of 
the  Scriptures  in  the,  73-79. 

agnosticism,  materialism,  etc.,  of,  273. 
"Womb"  of  the  spirit,  52,  246,  247. 
Worldly-mindedness,  Paul's  description  of,  73. 
Worldliness,  evils  of,  182,  183. 
Worldly  life  a  preparation  for  knowledge  of  God, 


Ydveh,  Jehovah,   132. 

Yogi  (seeker),  171. 

Yukta  (he  who  has  attained),  171. 


imwm 


